You make me bulletproof
by Jules In Neverland
Summary: Beca is a successful DJ and producer in LA, 3 years after Barden, when some strange things start happening, and suddenly, hers and her loved ones' lifes will be in great danger. But in the light of these dark and sad events, someone will prove to be more than air to her, someone who will put the light in the darkness. Rating T-M for violence, slight smut, drama and tragedy.
1. Chapter 1

**YOU MAKE ME BULLETPROOF**

 _So, I've been having this idea of a fanfic, it was initially sendrick, but I have changed it to bechloe in the last minute because I felt that maybe if I did it sendrick people could take it wrong, or FF could delete it. First, I'd like to say that I've written many, many fanficts in my life, most of them aren't in FF, some of them have had a lot of succeed, others not as much. However, I'm Spanish and I have never tried to write a fic in English, I've written essays, small stories, thoughts, even my journals are 80% written in English, but I was a little bit scared of writing an actual fic entirely in English, so if I have any mistakes or there are things that you think that I could have said differently or beautifier, then please let me know with all the kindness of your heart. It's also my first Pitch Perfect fic._

 _About this story, it contains huge amounts of drama and tragedy (just because I love it), so if you feel like this could affect you in any negative way, or if anything I write touches you close, please, stop reading, take a break, and calm down. In this story, Beca and Chloe are both single and out of college, and Jesse is in a very lovely and serious relationship with Aubrey, when Beca confronts a big tragedy that will make her be closer and closer to Chloe, until love comes out in the biggest of ways. It's going to be slow, they aren't going to be kissing right away, I want it to be as realistic as possible, but in the meantime you can enjoy their beautiful friendship and that amazing way they have of being with each other._

 _Finally, I do not own Pitch Perfect, nor its characters, background, story or anything really, I do not have any right over them, and I will not be paid or anything because of this fic._

 **Chapter 1:** Obsession.

The Barden Bellas had graduated now three years ago, and each had taken their own ways. Beca had lost contact with most of them, nevertheless, she still had a very close friendship with Chloe, Aubrey and Jesse, and talked with them a lot thanks to Skype, and she was still in contact with most of the other Bellas through social networks, and usually talked to Fat Amy, Cynthia-Rose, Emily or Stacie, mostly. Through Jesse, she was also a bit in contact with Benji. Beca and Jesse had broken up seven months after Barden, when she had gone with him to Los Angeles and they were both struggling to find succeed in their respective careers, and they had realised that the sparkle was gone and that they were better off has best friends. Around that time, Chloe was doing practices for music teacher in Barden High School, and Aubrey had started to open several retreat camps all around America, but she was now directing her empire from a skyscraper in New York City as chief and founder of the "Posen Retreat Camps" company, but the three girls and some of the other Bellas had some unmovable dates every year when they would go on a trip to a very nice hotel in some very nice place for a week to catch up, and things like that. Ten months after the break up, Jesse had received an offer to make the scores of a great film in New York City, so he had moved in with Aubrey, with whom by that time he had a great friendship, and a couple months later, they where dating. They were now one of the most romantic couples ever, and meanwhile, Chloe who today is a music teacher in Barden High School and also leads their choir towards several championships, has been dating some guys -and after recognizing that she was somehow bisexual, girls too-, but nothing really serious, and right now, at twenty seven years old, she was single. As for Beca, after Jesse, got in some troubling relationships and one-night stands, and right now she was dating a producer that anybody liked, because they thought he was a liar, who was playing with Beca, and that he had some bad intentions hidden. Also, Beca was now a very successful DJ, who worked in a big building in LA and everything, and even went to the same parties David Guetta went to.

Fall had just started, and Beca was disc jockeying with some new equipment she desperately wanted to prove, when she made a small pause to eat a sandwich in the cafeteria a couple floors down, and while she ate her sandwich a drank coffee, comfortably sitting in a chair, she proceeded to vaguely respond some tweets with her phone to as many fans as she could. Usually, she would've been thrilled to spend some time answering them, and would take that as a very important mission because she loved her fans, but today, she was only doing it to pass the time while she waited to be called by her secretary to go back to the studio when a client she was expecting came. That was why she wasn't paying as much attention as always to Twitter, just overseeing the tweets tagged with Beca Mitchell or DJBM, when she suddenly realized that there was this one person who tweeted her almost constantly, and yes, many people tweeted her often enough for her to be familiar with their names, but this one went on and on, tweeting almost every hour everyday, and commenting each of her tweets. The person was called "djbecs", and when, curious about this person after seeing that most of the tweets it sent her were very much things like "i luv u Becs", "when ar u comin home" "look this app, our kids will be amazing", she went to see this person profile, she saw that all it tweets were about her. Discs, albums, and every single work Beca had ever done was there, even photos of her daily life, and everything. Beca hadn't still gotten used to the kind of obsessed fans and she thought she would never do, so, trying not to think about it because it was really creepy and it gave her chills, she let it pass as "another obsessed fan" and send Jesse a quick text joking about it like usual, before she realized her secretary had left her a few messages, and then she went back to work.

Several hours later, she was in her apartment, sitting in the sofa with a cup of wine watching some of her favourite music TV shows while texting Jesse, with whom she was still joking about her latest stalker, and Chloe, who was asking her for an opinion with the music selection she had made for the Christmas competition the choir she directed had this year. In the meantime, Roger, her boyfriend who had moved in with her a couple months ago after dating for three months, was taking a shower after coming right before diner complaining about some jackass client he had. They had already had diner, and a couple minutes after Beca heard the shower turn off, Roger appeared dressed in his pyjamas, with a grin on his face, and sat beside her, putting his arm behind her, over the back of the couch. Beca stopped watching TV and moved her eyes towards his, composing a small smile when she saw his face.

"What?" she asked curious "you're creeping me out with that face."

"Nothing, just watching my beautiful girlfriend all concentrated with that cute frown and everything... sorry, what's exactly so wrong about my face?"

"It's just that grin... like if you were going to do something sneaky... and I don't have anything cute!" she groaned with an small laugh.

"What are you talking about? You are the cutest, with all those ear monstrosities and everything" he said laughing, quoting Aubrey. He had met Aubrey, Jesse and Chloe, together with a few Bellas and their partners about three months ago, at the last trip they had organized. One week at Cabo and the same people that at first though that he was "cute" and "attentive", ended up telling her how they had a bad feeling about him.

"Whatever, you haven't said anything about those sneaky plans of yours, I'm waiting!" she replied playfully.

"Well, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have any sneaky plans."

"Yeah... whatever, I'm tired, let's go to sleep."

With a tiny smile on her face, Beca sat up and took his hand leading him towards the bedroom.

It was late at night when Roger woke her up, tiredly, squeezing her upper arm a little until she moved, but he didn't even opened her eyes.

"Becs... your phone won't shut the fuck up" said Roger with a grumpy voice, and Beca barely moved a little bit, awakening slowly, hearing an insistent beep that was her default call phone, which indicated that was an unknown number, because being who she was, she had a personalized one for each person that called in a daily basis. Slowly, she finally opened her eyes and reached a hand towards her phone to cancel the call. Back in silence, she proceeded to curl herself against Roger to sleep again, but just when she had turned to his side of the bed, the phone rang again with the same sound. "Who calls in the middle of the night?" said Roger finally sitting in bed bothered by the sound "if you need to take it, which it seems you clearly have to do, then go to the living room. I've got an important meeting in the morning." He looked angry, so Beca sat up, took her phone, and feeling about to die for the lack of sleep and very angry at the same time, put the phone against one of her ears.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" said whispered coldly and angry. But all the answer was a laugh and then, whoever it was, hanged up. She let go an annoyed sigh and went back to the bedroom "I don't know how stupid freaks find my number, but I'm gonna have a serious conversation with Angie in the morning" she said talking about her secretary entering the bedroom.

"Whatever" came the muffled response from under one pillow. By all answers, Beca just looked at him exasperated, and went back to sleep.

When she woke up in the morning, Roger had already left and it was past ten in the morning, Saturday. Sometimes she went to the studio or the office on Saturdays, and she was planing to do so, but now she was so tired that she wasn't so sure, she really didn't handle well being awaken in the middle of her sleep, but had mostly forgotten last night's incident. While she had her coffee be rewarmed, she decided to put her phone on speaker and call Aubrey, as she was starting to rethink about last night with a more awaken mind.

"I'm working Becs" said Aubrey through the phone using a singing voice, playfully despite being at work on a Saturday morning "Is it important?".

"I supposed you would be" replied Beca and let go a sigh "Yeah... yeah, I think it is. Or at least it what my attempt of adult mind tells me."

Aubrey seemed to straight up in her chair and when she spoke, she sounded dead serious. For serious staff, Beca usually called Jesse or Chloe, Aubrey was only for things that worried Beca to the point when she didn't feel like worrying the other two.

"Talk to me then, Beca."

"It's probably nothing, but last night something very weird happened... neither Roger or I were very thrilled about it. You know how private I'm with my staff, even more with my personal mobile phone number, but somehow someone managed to get it, and called me in the middle of the night last night. I have no idea who it was, the number was secret, but I don't go around giving my number away easily. I've still got to go to the office and talk to Angela" she poured some coffee into a mug and gave it a long sip while Aubrey sighed thoughtfully.

"Didn't you take the call?"

"I wasn't going to, but whoever it was, called twice, and the second time, Roger was exasperating me to take it. So I did. And guess what? A laugh. That was the whole answer before he, she or whoever, hung up."

"What? That is certainly weird... you sure nobody could have access to your number?"

"Yes, positive. Only my closest friends have it, and you know better than to give it away, apart from that, only Roger, my family and the guys at work, and all of them know that under any concept should gave my number to anyone. My clients have to call to the office or to Angela."

"Well, I know there are ways to get a phone number, but it's very obsessive, it isn't easy work. I can talk to Jess, he has a friend who knows a lot about those things, here in New York."

"Okey, thank you, but please, try not to worry him, and no words to Chloe. They worry too much and too easily."

"Yeah, right. I gotta get back to work, but I'll talk to you tonight or tomorrow, if that's all right."

"Sure, and I should get to the office too... talk to you later, enjoy the work!" they hung up, and Beca finished breakfast and got ready.

An hour and a half later, she was pacing in front of her secretary, Angela's desk, rambling about how she should never, ever give her number to anyone, and about how many problems not being careful with that could give her.

"Beca, I assure you, your number is right here, in my work numbers personal agenda, that has not left my purse except to go to my pocket, and I carry this agenda with me always, never left it alone anywhere, except when I'm in home, and then it stays in my purse, inside of a drawer in my home office" it has taken months, but after insisting a lot, Beca had gotten Angela to call her by her nickname "I know how important it is to people's safety and privacy to keep this numbers in a safe place out of any stranger's hands. My purse even has a small pocket inside where I put the agenda, trust me."

"Okay, okay..." Beca let her hands ramble over her hair, pulling it back and out of her face. She liked her secretary, who never asked stupid questions, or invaded her privacy, and was efficient as anybody, and one of the kindest and most trustful persons she knew "can't it be... maybe someone in your place took it while you where having a shower or something?"

"I don't think so... my wife knows not to look for staff in my purse, and she respects my privacy and knows specifically to keep her hands off of that specific agenda, and she would never do that. Apart from her... there's only the children, but they have been taught to never get into the office without me or Amy" Amanda, Amy for short, was her wife. They had gotten married almost two years ago, when Beca had first gotten into her current office, and had just hired Angela, who very kindly, invited her to her beautiful wedding. She had a two year old from a previous relationship with a man, who had left her pregnant, and she also had a ten months old through artificial insemination, that Amy had carried and given birth to. "Besides Beca, I haven't noticed anything irregular with it... I haven't noticed any broken pages or anything strange".

"Well, something strange it's happening. Between the weird stalkers and this..." Beca let go a sight "Anyway, I'm going to just forget everything about it, okay? I'm going to sat and do some mixes".

With that, Beca left to go to her office, adjacent to Angela's. Beca had been working as an independent DJ since she got to LA. As in Barden, she went to a music producers company as an intern and starting giving ideas away. A year later or so, her boss produced one of her mixes, that made her famous. Then he gave her free use of one of the studios in the company, and let her produce some of his clients music, and them gave great reviews in response. Then, Beca was offered the possibility to create her own music production company, and she got some floors in the building where she currently worked. Ever since, she keeps dis jockeying at some discos and parties wherever she gets a call, she produces music as the director of her own company, one like Residual Heat, and she also collaborates with other musicians, or has them collaborate with her. In her three floors, there was some offices and music studios, meeting rooms, cafeteria, and other staff, and she worked with a lot of interns and other experienced musicians who also produced music for her company. Even if Beca spent a lot of time in her favourite studio with other musicians creating music, or perfecting her own mixes, she still loved to just sit at her office, not in her desk but in her couch, with the amazing views of LA right in front of her, and the same laptop she had back in Barden in her lap, and just create mixes or listen to others that were already done, some of them as old as her Bella performances, and just close her eyes and enjoy the life. She had done everything in her power to make her office look not like an office really, but very hers. There were plants, and posters, and plaques from the Bellas championships and other prizes she had won, there were big windows, a big couch, a coffee table, her desk, where she only sat for paperwork or to seem an adult to her clients, and a lot of random staff like a broken gramophone, a typewriter, an ukulele and things like that.

She let out an exasperated sigh while she let herself fall down on her couch and opened her phone to stalk Chloe's twitter a bit because, let's be real, the girl had amazing pictures of her projects with the kids, even the littlest ones because she also helped with activities in the Barden Primary School. Then she saw it.

 _djbecs djbmitchell has an amazing voice when she's mad... I can almost imagine her naked under her bed sheets..._

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! please let me know with reviews, favourites, PM, or whatever you like. And note, FF wouldn't let me put the at sign, so... any ideas about how to write it in a way you guys understand it?**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Wow, 2 reviews, 7 follows, and 154 views in 17h (by the time I'm writing this), I'm flattered, thank you all. I'm not one to beg for response, but as we all know in FF, having response helps you not to feel like you're writing for only yourself and nobody likes your story, and makes you feel even more excited about writing more of the story. It needn't to be a positive response, any kind is good. But if you're gonna criticise, please be kind and polite.**_

Chapter 2: Observed.

Beca wasn't one to take all kinds of strange things seriously. You could say she was an sceptic, or maybe she liked to think that nobody would do the kind of crazy staff that usually ended up happening. However, she found herself kind of stressed during the week, looking almost as a tic to all the tweets "djbecs" wrote, attentive to anything that could be interpreted as a sign of this person being in her life. She changed her number, just in case, and made sure to do an exceptional revision of her own security, including computer files, phone system, house security, and everything. She wasn't the obsessive type of person, but she found herself pretty freaked out, and she wanted to keep her badass appearance, so she tried to be discreet.

Alan Mitchell, Beca's father still worked at Barden University, and lived in Atlanta with his wife, Sheila, and their three years old, Addison. Before Sheila, Alan had been married to Sarah Baker, with whom he used to lived in Portland, Maine, where his two eldest children had been born and had lived with her mother after their divorce. Beca's older brother for five years, Joseph Mitchell, had also had to study at Barden University, but he had came back to Portland, found a job as an history teacher at Barden High School, married Kendra, and together they had Jackie, who had just turned two years old last summer. Beca was now pretty close to her father, who had helped her in her dreams of living and working in Los Angeles, and with him she exchanged mails regularly, but she couldn't avoid hating Sheila, a beautiful snob who had been flirting with his father even when he was still married, until Alan and Sarah's divorce, when Beca was fifteen. Beca was very close to her mother too, because that woman had done everything in her power to raise her and Joseph almost alone, even being married, because Alan just couldn't stop working in an University that was too far away. But still, Beca kept some resentment towards her mother, because after the divorce, the woman had drown herself in alcohol and tears during more than a year, leaving the kids mostly alone, but because of that, she had grown the closest to her brother Joseph, who had taken care of her better than their father, and she not only called him frequently, but went all the way back to Portland just to see him, his wife, who had become very close friend of Beca, and their kid, who was very spoiled by Beca, because she loved him dearly, and had dozen of pictures of him with her all over everywhere. Jackie was one of the first reasons why Beca had to make sure nobody passed her private life, she just didn't wanted people to harass her brother or his family asking for information about her, so she kept in great secret everything about her family, and neither wikipedia or her fans knew anything about them. She only had a couple of family photos in her office. One, she with Joseph, Alan and Sarah when Beca and her brother were very little, and their family still close, and another one of Beca with a year old Jackie and his mother, and at work they thought the first picture was of Beca with her dad, a cousin and her aunt, and that the second one was of Beca with a friend and her friend's kid. Only Angie knew who they really were, because Beca trusted her. Of course people would ask, but she would never risk her family's privacy just because she got famous, they didn't wanted fame too. Roger knew about her family, of course, and he had been with her in Portland at Jackie's birthday, but besides them, he only knew Alan and because the man had insisted on meeting his daughter's only serious relationship ever since Jesse, and had made her go to Barden with Roger.

Those were Beca's thoughts has she bit her nails while she walked in her pyjamas around her phone, placed on top of their living room's table, at one in the morning. Everyday since the first phone call, she had received one call and the same answer exactly at 1 AM. Roger had gotten tired and called the police, but since it was a secret number, and she was famous, they just told her that it was basically her fault that a crazy fan got her number, and that she should change it. That has been two days ago, and she had finally changed it the day before, so she was there, pacing as the clock gave 1 AM. Roger was long ago asleep. When the phone didn't rang, Beca let go a relieved sigh that she hadn't realized she was repressing.

"Fuck you, game over" she whispered, showing a finger to the phone and going back to sleep. She had spoken to Aubrey once since the first time she called about that, and they had agreed Beca would take a flight that weekend to see Jesse's friend in New York and get God knows what software or something that incremented her phone's security, but Beca had made Aubrey promise not to worry not only herself, but neither Chloe or Jesse, Chloe knew nothing, and Jesse had been told in a way he and Beca were still joking around the topic. And Beca's family knew absolutely nothing.

Just as Beca was about to happily open her bedroom's door, the phone sounded again. Same melody for the unknowns number. She looked at her phone in disbelief, it wasn't a secret number, which was strange, just unknown, but took the little thing in her trembling hand, and, walking fast towards the living room, she shouted the living room's door and took the call.

"You bitch I'm gonna fucking slid your throat...!"

"Becs?" Beca's oxygen stuck in her throat. It was Chloe.

"Chlo? What... what you're doing? Why don't you call me with your phone? Why are you calling this late?"

"I... my phone ran out of battery, and I needed to talk to you but I was so busy that forgot to call earlier. I thought it was worth trying and seeing if you were awake doing mixes or something... are you okay Becs?" the soft voice of Chloe sounded worried and Beca dammed herself.

"Uh... yeah, yeah. It just, you know, I hate being waken up in the middle of the night, that's all, but don't worry."

"Oh, sorry. I... sorry" Chloe seemed in the verge of tears.

"No, no, forget about it. If I had knew it was you! You know if it's you I'd be happy to get a call even at five in the morning. Anyway, what did you call for?"

"Uh, oh... the guys loved the mix you sent me for the Christmas High School Choirs Competition, of course I didn't tell them that it was yours, but I thought it'd be nice to call and say thank you very much?" she seemed unsure.

"Oh, yeah, I'm glad they liked it. Hey, Chlo, I'm really sorry for talking to you like that, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, don't worry. You sure nothing's bothering you? You never got that mad even when Bree was bothering you with the Bella's rehearsals... Did you... did you have a fight with Roger?"

"Don't worry Chloe, Roger and I are just fine, really, everything's great" it wasn't funny lying to Chloe "I might just be really tired, I should go to sleep. But it was great talking to you thought"

"Yeah, the same, sleep well Becs!"

"Goodnight" she hanged up and turned her phone off just in case. She really needed to sleep.

The days went back calmly, without inconveniences, and still Beca made a quick trip to NYC to get her phone even more secured, and see Jesse and his as they told her, brand new fiancée, Aubrey. They had a small diner to celebrate, even skyped with Chloe on the table to celebrate altogether, and next morning Beca was back home.

"Beca, your brother at the phone!" shouted Roger one Friday night as Beca just came back from her shower drying her hair with a towel. Roger, who was getting the Chinese food they had ordered into some plates, handled her the house phone and she smiled putting it in her ear.

"Hello pretty boy!" she saluted happily "how's my favourite nephew ever?"

"Becs" Joseph's voice cracked and Beca felt a knot in her throat, starting to get scared.

"What's wrong Joshie?" her brother started sobbing "hey, Joseph, you need to talk to me. I'm starting to freak out a little bit."

"Jackie's missing" he said suddenly and Beca felt about to throw up.

"What?! You're kidding, right?" it was a stupid question, Beca knew "Josh, tell me it's a bad joke. He's two! How the hell did he got lost? You're supposed to never have him out of sight!" Roger looked at her frowning and Beca wrote in a napkin _Jackie's missing_ and turned her attention back to her brother, who was now openly crying -and he never, ever cried- while Roger got some noodles into his mouth and looked at her curiously.

"I... I don't know Becs... we haven't seen him since yesterday evening, we've been looking like crazy with the police, mum and Kendra's family..."

"How did it happen?"

"Well, you know he had just started kindergarten, and it was in their garden, just playing around... and there are three teacher for what, forty kids? And there was a small earthquake, nothing big, but the kids got scared, so it was kind of crazy... someone peed himself, and I don't know how many things were happening at the same time! But when they recounted the children, to make sure everyone was fine, Jackie was missing!" Joseph was clearly upset, crying and talking too loud "Police has registered the all area, and he's nowhere to be found! They believe someone could have used the distraction to take him, because the door to the street had been broken and the teachers swear it wasn't like that before!"

Beca shut up in shock listening to his brother crying, with her own eyes tearing, and Roger just stood there, looking widely at her.

"Joseph, listen to me, keep looking for him, okay? Just... just ask the neighbours, he must've been somewhere! He was just scared, he's two!"

"Beca, aren't you listening to me? Someone broke the damn door! Broke it!" he shouted suddenly "only to take Jack freaking Mitchell, Beca! Why do you think it happen?"

"W... What?!" Beca was starting to get what her brother was insinuating "Joseph, I swear, I've never told anyone about Jackie, or you for that matter! Only the Bellas, my secretary and Roger know, and none of them would ever do anything like that!"

"Well, I'm sure Jackie didn't just decided to run away on his own, Beca!" he shouted angrily.

"I... Joseph, listen, I'll go, okay? I'll take a flight tomorrow morning, and help you guys look for him, and I'll even talk to the police or whatever you need" Beca cried "I'm his aunty, Joshie, you know I'd never expose him, I'd never compromise his safety."

There was a moment of silence in which Joshie calmed down.

"Okay, Beca. I'm sorry. We don't know what to do, we are good parents, and his a good kid... he would never run away, he knows not to talk with strangers. If someone kidnapped him, I'm sure he knew him. Yeah, you're right, I'll go talk to my neighbours and to the police..."

"Yeah, go do that. I'll be there soon. Try to rest a bit tonight Joseph, you both need to be at your best if we want to find him. And we will find him, everything's gonna be just fine"

"Okay, could you... could you please call dad and let him know? In case he hears something or whatever?"

"I'll do it, don't worry. Goodnight bro, I love you all, give Kendra a big hug from me" Beca hung up and cleaned her eyes with her hair's towel.

"What's going on? Are you all right?" asked Roger stroking her arm softly.

"What?! My two year old nephew is nowhere to be found, how the hell do you expect me to be fine?!" said Beca loudly starting to pace around the room, visibly disturbed "Someone kidnapped him, Roger, there was a fucking earthquake, and he got scared, and someone took advantage, broke the kindergarten's fucking door, and took my Jackie away, and my brother's desperate, and my sister in law is panicked, and… and..." she stood in the middle of the room, hands in the air, tears running freely trough her cheeks "I just... I don't know what to do. What if it's my fault, Roger? What if he's crying, or something worst, and it's all my damn fault?"

Roger walked towards her and hugged her strongly.

"Everything's going to be fine soon, Becs, I'm sure."

"How can you?"

"Because, you are DJ Beca Freakin' Mitchell, and you are a badass, and you'll know what to do, and you'll get the kid back."

"I hope you're right" her voice sounded muffled against his chest. The brown-haired man was way taller than her, and as big as a closet, with big, strong biceps covering her "I'm going to Portland tomorrow" she announced separating sightly from him, staring as his dark green eyes.

"That'll be good. And call Jesse and Aubrey, they live closer to your brother's and can help them out sooner while you're going."

"Great idea... I'll call Chloe too, the more help eyes looking for him can get, the better."

"Yeah, about that... babe, I can't go now. I've got this huge deal to seal tomorrow and it's really important for me to be here now. You're a music producer too, you know how this works, a client wants me and it will be an awesome deal for my company."

"What are you talking about? You seriously care more about that fucking thing and the money you're gonna get, than about finding you're girlfriend's two year old nephew?! Like, for real?!" she screamed looking angrily at him and pushing him again, but he was so strong she barely made him go one step backwards.

"Babe, you have to understand, what difference would I made there..."

"Don't babe me, Roger!" she shouted interrupting him "Jackie is missing, and you could help, but instead, you are going to stay here just for money that, you know, we don't even need, and even less you, who lives in his girlfriend's apartment!" she looked at him in disbelief "Wanna know what difference you could make?! I don't know Roger! maybe moral support?! That's why you were so quick thinking in Jesse and Aubrey, right?! So you could pass, you son of a...!"

"Don't you fucking call me that, you whore!" he snapped suddenly slapping her across the face, with that force that she fell and stood in the ground in pure shock, not even crying, with a hand over her red cheek "You don't get me to call me all those things, and disregard me like that, and walk away like always! I'm a gentleman, you don't get to talk like that to a rich, prestigious and important producer and stay like nothing ever happened!"

There were a few seconds of silence, and slowly, Beca stood up, right in front of him, looking at him straight in his eyes with the coldest of looks, furious.

"Get out" she said slowly but firmly, to be clear, elevating her voice a bit "Take your things, get out of my home, give me the keys, and don't ever dare to come back."

"What're you talking about?" he said with a small laugh but she stood serious as death "oh my god, you're serious? This is great, you're crazy, you know?"

"Yeah, crazy enough to let a... how was it? A rich and very prestigious music producer who, by the way, is twenty eight years old, not a kid, move into my house like a rich homeless or something" she nodded slowly, arms crossed over her chest, teary eyes but straight, serious expression "I'm actually dumb, because everyone told me you were a jackass, but I'm so stubborn I wouldn't listen, but, you see? I learn, and I'm gonna make things right once and for all. Go, I'm letting you take your things, don't make me regret it, so do it, and go away."

"Where do you expect me to go? It's twelve at night!"

"I don't know, and honestly, I don't care. Go wherever a rich, famous, prestigious, gentleman of music producer should be. I don't care."

"Stupid bitch..." he mumbled while he took a bag and starting putting there some clothes. She stood in the living room alone, and spotted his cell phone charging in the couch, so she took it, went to the toilet, and threw it, and pulled the chain. When he was done, he went to the living room looking for his phone, and Beca, her own phone in hand ready to click _call_ with the police number already dialled, went after him.

"If you're looking for your cell phone, I threw it down the toilet." She said calmly, looking at him, who looked back with his eyes wide.

"You crazy bitch!" he went to slap her in the face again, but she moved quickly and he ended up screaming in pain as he slapped the wall forcefully. She showed him her cell phone from the distance.

"Me, clever aca-bitch. Go now, or I'm calling the police Roger."

He looked angrily at her once more, before throwing his home keys to the ground and getting out of the apartment, shouting the door. Beca stood there, shocked, while she took everything in, and ended up kneeling in the ground, crying softly until she fell asleep.

Twenty minutes later, at exactly one in the morning, her cell phone vibrated in her hand, waking her up, and, seeing a secret number, she stopped crying all of the sudden, and put the phone in her ear.

"Where is he?!"

"Aunty Bec...?" it was Jackie. Beca almost laughed in relief.

"Jackie? Oh my god, honey, where are you baby?"

"I... I don't know. Somewhere dark. Aunty, I'm scared, I wanna go home!" he had started crying and that broke her heart even more if that was possible.

"I know baby, you're coming back home, okay? You gotta be brave now for me, and tell me everything you know, who took you?"

"It was your friend aunty, she says she's a close friend of yours! You're coming to get me, right?"

"What?" she opened her eyes wide, who the hell was? "Jackie, do you know this woman?"

"No, I haven't met her before. But I was so scared aunty Becs, and she said she was your friend and that she was gonna put me somewhere safe and..."

"Time's over" said a voice in the distance, Jackie cried and whoever it was, took the phone "What's up Becs? You've got a beautiful kid in here" Beca couldn't recognize the voice, it was like she had something in her mouth that changed it.

"Who are you? What have you done?" Beca had just realised Roger had caused her to bit her lip, causing an small cut in it, that was now swelling.

"Tic tac Becs... it's late for him... but you gotta paid." Before Beca could say anything else, the call was over.

After that, Beca ran to the police and told them everything, but they couldn't do anything if the call wasn't being held in the moment to follow the trail, so they opened an record of the case, interrogated her, and told her to give him a list of possible suspects and people who could have her number.

Finally, at almost five in the morning, Beca found herself pacing, internally lost, walking around the streets like a homeless, crying, which she kept doing in her bed for another hour, until she woke up to get a shower, pack a bag, and go to the airport. Right when she opened the apartment's door, she spotted a big box that had left a pool of what seemed to be blood in the ground. The box itself seemed to be breaking like if it was full of water. Beca called the police and then, knowing that they would be there soon, she proceeded to open the box, with trembling hands, and a knot in the doors of her stomach, and gasped bringing her hands to her mouth, when she saw what was inside. There was a pile of blood, small body parts, she recognized small fingers, and the smell of decomposition made her vomit all over the corridor. Then, she saw a note between the blood, that was put in a way that it wouldn't get too bloody, and she recognized the handwriting. It read "Here you have him, Becs. Say hi to little Jackie... the poor screamed so..." nothing else could be read because of the blood, and the note decomposed in her hand.


	3. Chapter 3

_**The support this story is receiving is being very appreciated. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. The story needs to go to very dark places before it can go to the most beautiful, or romantic ones. Trust me, I seem like an horrible person, but I know what I'm doing. I absolutely loved the reviews, you guys make me laugh my ass off after long days, seriously, I've had to turn around in my bedroom more than once to check while writing, because I mostly write at night, when the house is in silence and everyone's sleeping.**_

Chapter 3: Support needed.

It was Saturday afternoon, at the end of September. Chloe, Jesse and Aubrey were running like if their lives depended on it, through the halls of some police building in Los Angeles, when they stopped, spotting a brunette cuddled in a chair, crying pretty hard, and her three friends looked at each other talking with their looks, deciding that Chloe should be the one going to calm their friend down. The red-haired woman walked slowly kneeling in the ground right in front of the other girl, who what her feet up in the chair, her face buried between her knees, her elbows on her knees and her hands intertwined over the back of her head, her hair falling freely in messy curls. Chloe put her hands in both of her friend's forearms, stroking affectionately and softly, and kissed her hair just above her forehead sweetly, before resting her own forehead there. They stayed like that for a few minutes, the brunette crying inconsolably and the red-haired trying to soothe letting her hands rumble up and down the other girl's arms until they got to her scapulars and the back of her neck, where she ran her fingers massaging the zone softly. Jesse and Aubrey had took seats one at each side of the brunette. At one point, the brunette's cries turned erratic, so Chloe, sensing that the girl was about to choke, tried to use words to soothe her.

"Calm down, we're here... just breath honey, deeply, like me, see?" was she saying "you're going to be fine, just try to breath, that's right, good girl..."

"Where's my brother?" the crying girl finally asked moving her head to look at Chloe, supporting it in her hands. The brunette had red, puffy eyes, and her face was all wet and reddish "I called him the first, he should be here by now..."

"He..." Chloe exchanged a worried look with Aubrey, who nodded sadly, and Chloe nailed her eyes on the puffy, dark, blue eyes of her friend, took air, and answered "Jesse called him right when the police called him, but he didn't take the phone, so they left. Your mother called us when we were on our way here from the airport... Beca, it seems like... the police was going to escort your brother and Kendra to the airport, but they wouldn't open the door. Becs, they... the same thing she did to Jackie, she... she killed them Becs. Your mum and dad have been told already to go there immediately" Chloe was in the verge of the tears as Beca stared at her in total shock, but she forced herself to keep going on "Police told us right when we got here, to go get you and go back down. The doctor who did Jackie's autopsy has came with him in an special truck, and police is escorting us all towards the airport, to go to Portland. They will all be buried there, after the doctor examines their bodies too to make sure they were murdered by the same person, and police here and there will keep investigating. We already called Angela to let her know, and police will protect her family. We couldn't contact Roger thought he wouldn't take the pone."

"Yeah, I threw his phone in the toilet, we broke up" mumbled Beca, trembling "let's go then". Chloe helped her friend steady herself when she got up, and hugged Beca with one arm as the four of them walked through the corridors until they were sitting in a police truck, after which was a forensic truck with Dr. Alexander, the one that had done Jackie's autopsy and would do his parent's ones too.

They had given Beca some sleeping pills to help her get some sleep during the seven hours they'd need to arrive to Portland, since Beca hadn't sleep a bit in almost twenty four hours, so the brunette was sitting with her head against the window, eyes closed and pale face, and beside her were Chloe and Aubrey, while Jesse and a couple of police officers, including the driver, were in the front. When they got to the airport, there was a jet plane waiting for them. It was one equipped to transport dead bodies so, while an officer took Beca's limp body to a comfortable seat, they put Jackie's body in the plane, and Beca's friends, along with doctor Alexander, and some police officers. Chloe sat beside Beca, and Jesse and Aubrey in the other two seats beside them, at the other side of the plane's corridor.

Around seven hours and a half later, they were in another truck in Portland, with Sarah, Beca's mother, and Dr. Mitchell, Sheila having stayed with Addie, their three years old, and there were also Dr. Alexander, and a couple of police officers more. Behind them was another truck driven by some guys from Portland's Forensic Doctors and some officers, carrying Jackie's body. Now the police was Portland's.

Beca was finally starting to open her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the cold window against her forehead, and once she opened her eyes, her neck hurting, she saw the rain drops in the glass, and the cars passing by. She took a moment to close her eyes again, faking to sleep, while she went over the events of the past week, to finally guess that they must've already arrived to Portland and that someone was definitely caressing her messy hair, gently. She heard voices and soon distinguished her mother's voice, very close to her, talking softly.

"We'll be home soon, and maybe we could have a nice dinner to recover our strength, you guys must be tired after that flight, and poor Beca looks drained".

Beca made an enormous effort, moving her head to put herself straight in the seat, and took her surroundings in. Her mother was the one caressing her hair, sitting beside her, and was looking in a caring way at her. Sarah was older than Beca remembered seeing her, and she had seen her not long ago, in the summer when Jackie turned two. She was very pale, and her eyes were puffy and sad, but it seemed like she was trying to be stronger for her than what she was when she and Alan divorced. Beside her was Chloe with Aubrey, both looking tired but awake, looking at her fortunately without the pained looks Beca hated, and more in a reassuring way. She also noticed that they were in a nine-seat truck, so in front of them were Jesse, her own father, and Dr. Alexander, and in the front seats were all police people.

"How are you feeling honey?" asked Sarah moving a lock of hair away from Beca's face. Her mother was blue eyed, like her, and had brown curly hair too, but her eyer were more like Chloe's only that, having Alan brown eyes, Beca's had turned up dark blue.

"I'm fine mum" she lied for her mother's sake. She had already let her friends see her broken, and that was gonna be it. Dr. Mitchell had turned around in her seat, like Jesse, and both of them looked at her with small smiles. Alan reached a hand to caress her knee.

"It's all going to be fine sweetie."

"Dad, no offence, but don't make promises you're not sure you can fulfil."

"Did you sleep fine?" asked Jesse softly, cutting her dad, for which Beca thanked him silently.

"Yeah" that wasn't entirely sure, Beca had already forgotten most of her dreams, but with the tired feeling she had, she was sure she had had tons of nightmares "By the way, where's my step-monster?"

"Sheila's at home, so she can take care of Addie. Police is watching the house there too" answered Alan. Beca loved little Addie, who fortunately looked more like her dad than like Sheila, but Beca still hated Sheila.

"Good. Where are we going?"

"To my place" said Sarah "You have a room there, Aubrey and Jesse can use the big bed in the spare bedroom, and your father has offered to sleep in the sofa-bed in the living room. There's an inflatable mattress for Chloe, but I was wondering if you two wouldn't mind to sleep together in your bed, which is a big one, and surely more comfortable. Chloe told me that she doesn't mind if you don't either."

"Yeah, of course. No way she's sleeping in that hell of a mattress." Said Beca looking at Chloe and exchanging an small smile before looking back to her mother "When is the funeral?"

"You should be able to bury Jack with his parents in three days, I'm gonna be as quick as I can to make you wait the less." Answered doctor Alexander, a pretty woman with a gorgeous smile Beca was getting kind of sick of witnessing "I thought you may prefer to bury them all together, as the family they are."

"Yeah, that would be great, thank you doctor" said Alan politely.

"Yes, very considerate of you" added Sarah, although she had tensed up a bit.

They arrived shortly after, to the big house were Sarah lived. It hurt Beca like a knife to see her nephew's toys and paintings all over the place, and to pass in front of the closed bedroom that belonged to her brother, so she was quick and went to have a long shower. The officer left their belongings in their respective bedrooms -Beca discovered Chloe had packed her a suitcase very properly while, as she explained, waited for Jesse and Aubrey to come, because she had no idea where Beca was and figured they would need to leave eventually- and each of them entertained themselves getting comfortable in their bedrooms, and later, while Beca was still taking a shower, Aubrey, Chloe and Jesse went to help Sarah with dinner, while Alan tried to clean the rest of the house and get all of Jackie's staff in his father's bedroom, so they wouldn't suffer seeing his toys. The doctor was carried by some cops towards an hotel, and the other cops stayed in a car in front of the house to keep a look.

"Chloe honey, dinner is almost ready, could you go and see how's Beca doing?" asked Sarah looking at the ginger.

"Of course".

Chloe went upstairs quickly and when she got to the second floor's corridor, she could already hear Beca crying. She softly knocked the bathroom's door and, not receiving an answer, let herself in. There she saw a heartbreaking image: Beca was nude and curled in the shower, sitting right under the water practically like how Chloe saw her in Los Angeles. Chloe removed her shoes and socks, her jersey, and emptied her pockets in a shelf above the sink before leading herself into the shower, not caring about getting wet, and hugged Beca tightly, who, smelling that she was Chloe or something, curled against her. They stood there for a while, until Beca calmed down, and Chloe, who by that time was also sobbing a little bit, turned the water off, and took a couple of big towels, wrapping Beca in one and hugging her while she had the other for herself. Eventually, they got out of the shower and they both got dressed. Sitting in the toilet while Chloe fixed her hair a bit, both of them already dressed, Beca let go a sigh.

"I feel like I'm so empty inside it hurts so much I may as well just die."

"Whatever you're feeling is completely normal Becs" Chloe said softly "in the past forty eight hours, you have fought with your boyfriend, broken up, discover your little nephew dismembered, and learn that your brother and sister in law were both dead too. Whatever you feel, we understand. You have the right to feel dead inside." Beca had already told them about her fight with Roger, because they saw her lip clearly in the car and got worried.

"You'll stay with me?" Beca looked at her and Chloe thought she had never seen the woman so vulnerable.

"Always" answered Chloe with a smile "now come, you really need to eat something, I bet you haven't eaten all day."

Then they got downstairs and sat with the rest, who where doing small talk while they barely ate something, and looked at them with questioning eyes but didn't say a thing. Beca was stirring her food around her plate when suddenly she remembered something she had last told the police, but not her family.

"I spoke with Jackie around five hours before discovering his body." She said, and the silence could be now cut with a knife. She looked up and saw everybody looking at her. "The bitch who did this... she, and Jackie said it was a she, called me at 1 AM, and gave Jackie the phone. He told me how scared he was when the earthquake happened, and how this woman had told him she was a good friend of mine, and that she would take him somewhere safe. He then told me he was somewhere dark, and that he was very afraid and begged me to go and get him back, and I promised him I was going to find him and take him home. The bitch took the phone back before he could say anything else, and told me that it was late for him and that I had to pay, and hung up, but she had her voice distorted. I went to the police and around five hours later everything that was left of Jackie was a mass of blood and body parts in a carton box in front of my apartment's door." Beca tried to be quick and let go a sigh before saying "So this is, basically, my entire fault. The box even came with a note from her telling me how... bad it had been for Jackie."

There was a moment of silence, while everybody took the information in, and not even the forks were moving, until Sarah sat up and ran towards her bedroom upstairs. Alan looked at Beca.

"This is not your fault in any way baby. The bitch, as you said, is a bitch, a worthless, horrible being who will definitely pay for this and she is the only responsible for any of this. She's just trying to make you feel like you are the bad guy, but I know you better, and you could never be a bad human being. You were an amazing aunt." The man said seriously and sat up kissing Beca's hair before going upstairs claiming she was going to see how Sarah was doing.

Beca shook her head and let go a sigh blinking back the tears that were threatening to come out, drinking from her glass of water while the cutleries made sound again.

"You know Becs?" said Aubrey suddenly "your father didn't just say some shit to keep you from blaming yourself. He genuinely feels those words, and we all feel the same" she stated "you are a good person. A good sister, friend, daughter, and aunt, and you're freaking good at you job. And if you keep blaming yourself for this, I swear I'll slap you. I will fucking slap you across the face if you ever try to put yourself at that bitch's level. The Beca Mitchell we all know and love can be a real bitch many times, but only to protect the ones she loves."

"Then, why do I feel so damn guilty, Aubrey?" said Beca "Why do I know that if I hadn't somehow pissed that bitch off, whenever I did it, or if I had made sure nobody knew my family, they would all still be happy, sitting having dinner with my mother instead of us?"

"Because you're a good person. But Beca, you can't go around trying to make the right thing for everyone always, because by doing something good for someone, you'll probably piss another off, if it was so easy to keep everyone happy, don't you think there wouldn't be angry people in the world?" said the blonde, exasperated "the thing is, you can't give everybody what they want, you can't go around trying not to piss someone off, afraid that if you make someone angry, they will hurt you. That the bitch got angry at you doesn't mean you did anything wrong, you could perfectly well had done something great that she hated because she's a horrible, crazy woman, and madness cannot be explained or reasoned, so stop trying to put some sense into that woman's behaviour because it's impossible and you will drive yourself crazy" the girl had stopped eating and was staring attentively at Beca "And if that's not enough, you did everything you could to keep them safe, you drove yourself and everyone around you crazy for days trying to keep them safe, she just... she must be a clever son of a bitch who got to hacker you or something, don't try to make sense of that."

Beca stood at her, eyes wide with sudden realization, seeing that Aubrey was right, as always.

"How do I make it all stop?" Beca asked then, in a whisper, and Aubrey smiled shyly.

"You can't. But you might feel better if you help finding her and kick her ass. And then, a psychologist and some good vacations may help you move on. Just remember that you were Jackie's hero, and you need to be as brave as he was, and make justice. But that doesn't mean that you are in any way allowed to get yourself in trouble or try doing police's work lady" she added with a smirk.

Sometime later, they were all in bed, Beca staring at the ceiling in the dark, laying face up, while Chloe contemplated her, laying on her side right beside her.

"Would you like the pills the doctor gave you to sleep?" Chloe suggested and Beca shook her head.

"I've already been drugged up enough today. They almost had to inject me something to calm me down when police arrived to my home. I was freaking out a lot."

Chloe nodded.

"Maybe you'd feel better after talking about it?"

"There isn't much to say. I saw him, the police had already been called, and stared at the blood in pure shock, I don't really remember it clearly. Then, they came and wanted to take him away, so I started screaming, hitting them, and everything, and by the time doctor Alexander came, the whole building was up and the police didn't know what to do with me, and probably if they hadn't been so sad for me, they would've knocked me out" Beca explained, omitting the fact that she had recognized the note's handwriting because she still hadn't a name clear in her head "Doctor A made me took some pill that left me like if I had drank an entire box of whisky, but kept me from screaming and doing nothing, really. Then in the police station, I cried my eyes out when hours later she confirmed it was Jackie, and it took them a lifetime to interrogate me and make me do all paperwork and everything. They had called my parents and I had told them to call Aubrey because she lived closer to Joseph and could contact him easily and better than police, and I told them to call you too. The rest is history."

Chloe cuddled against her putting an arm over her waist.

"Yeah, I called Aubrey right after they called me, and we took first flights, but as I live closer, I got there sooner, and like police had forgotten to tell me where to find you, and I forgot to ask too, I just texted Jesse and told them to find me there, and packed your suitcase thinking we should come here at one point. We came for you right after they took me."

"How did the police let you go inside my house?"

"They figured it wasn't a crime scene, just where the bitch had left him, and I had the keys you gave me, so they knew I was trustworthy. Actually, when I came there, there was only one cop left picking up some things others had left behind, and he barely asked my name and went away." Beca nodded and turned her head to the side to fix her eyes on Chloe's, while the ginger moved a lock of brown hair away from her eyes, making Beca a bit nervous, she couldn't explain why "You wanna talk about what happened with Roger? You just told us you fought and broke up, we were sensitive enough not to scream who the hell he think he is to touch you." Beca smiled a bit and she smiled widely "I love that little smile of yours, thought I'll never see it in a long time."

"I love yours too" she said blushing a bit and sighed "Joseph had just called to let me know what had happened. Roger said he had work and couldn't come here with me as I planned to do, and told me to ask my friends for that. I got really mad, because I never thought the man I loved would prefer money over comforting his girlfriend, but he did, we said some nasty things to each other, he slapped me, I chased him out of my home, we said some nasty things more, and he gathered his staff up and went away. In the meantime, I got rid of his cellphone, by the way, I almost gained another slap, but I was ready to call the police so... he just left with a hand red from the wall."

Chloe let go a quiet laugh.

"I'm glad you put him in his place, so much I won't even say I told you so, but I would've loved to kick his ass too... with a bat."

Beca let go a quiet laugh this time and turned completely to her side to snuggle against Chloe.

"I'm glad your here" she mumbled against the ginger's neck.

"I'm happy to be here too" said Chloe and hugged her against herself with one arm "now rest baby Becs, and let me take care of you. Tomorrow is going to be another hard day to confront."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank so much for the reviews, follows, favourites and everything :) I may take a while now to put new chapters, writing three in 23h may make me end this story too soon and I don't want to. Ah, I loved your crazy theories about who's the SHE, and some of you are pretty close... others are far, far away, so keep thinking awesome people!**_

 _ **WARNING this chapter has very rough moments towards the end, that cost me a lot to write, emotionally, so be careful.**_

Chapter 4: Run.

Beca was awoken by intense screams very early in the morning, the sun having yet to come out, yet she soon realized that she was the one crying and screaming and that Chloe was desperately trying to soothe her, hugging her until she really abandoned her nightmare to wake up in another one, and stopped screaming. Jesse and Aubrey had burst into the room, and Beca heard Jesse tell her parents they would take care and to go back to sleep.

"I've got it, she's better now" Beca heard Chloe say, feeling the ginger's heart beating hard, but less hard than her own. Beca had shut her eyes, so she opened them, not crying anymore, but the vivid image of blood still in her eyes, and let Chloe soothe her, while Aubrey patted her back and hair gently, like a pet, and Jesse just stared at them. "Sh... it was just a bad dream Becs, everything's ok"

But it was a lie. Everything was wrong. And she was still living a nightmare from which she would never wake up, but she didn't say a thing and just let Chloe wrap her arms around her protectively. Eventually, she went back to sleep, and Chloe laid both of them down, still keeping her between her arms. A couple hours later, however, she was awoken again, but this time by soft kisses on her temple and a warm voice.

"Sweetie, wake up, the sun's up, breakfast's ready, and you need some food in there" Beca loved that voice, so she followed it out of her disturbing dreams, opened her eyes, and turned around to confront Chloe, realizing that the ginger had one arm under her, hugging her, and the other limp over her hair, Beca guessed that because she had to keep the brunette's curls out of her face to kiss her temple, while she was laying in her back. Chloe smiled at Beca "You better know?"

"Yeah. Thank you so much, Chloe, I don't even know..." Chloe shook her head, the tiny smile still there, and passed the hand that wasn't hugging her from under her, towards her face, caressing her cheek lovingly.

"It's okay, I'd do everything for you, and I know it's a mutual feeling" Beca let a tiny smile appear in her face and looked at Chloe "now, let's go downstairs, shall we?"

Beca nodded and got up, feeling kind of numb, but definitely more rested, and opened her closet, discovering that together with the little clothes she still had there from when she moved out, Chloe had cautiously put all her clothes from her suitcase. She smiled to herself a little for the gesture and, not feeling like dressing up but neither like going on her pyjamas, she decided to put on her Barden University hoodie, that she had left there long ago in another visit and turner around to see Chloe get out of the bedroom's tiny bathroom with her hair better pulled up in a bum and her face cleaned, judging by the way she was vaguely drying it with her shirt. Beca couldn't avoid directing her gaze towards the ginger's abs, that where showing until Chloe put her pyjama shirt right.

"Shall we?" asked Chloe opening the door and looking back at her for confirmation. Beca nodded and followed her downstairs, where they were greeted by the smell of pancakes, her father helping her mother in the kitchen like in the old times, and Jesse and Aubrey busy putting the plates and just-made orange juice in the table. Beca felt bad for letting them all do all the work, so followed Chloe into taking forks, napkins, and everything else.

"Mum" Beca had gone to her mother while the woman helped her father with the pancakes, thinking that last time she had seen her mother, this one was crying in her room and her father had gone to comfort her "can I talk to you for a second?"

Sarah looked at Beca with certain confusion in her eyes, but nodded and followed her daughter towards the living room, both sitting in the couch in front of the fireplace.

"What's up baby?"

"I just... after last night, you left me wondering if you went away because you certainly blamed me."

"Oh" Sarah looked at the fireplace, and then back at her daughter, thoughtfully "I... I don't blame you, honey. Sorry if that's what I made you think, I was just overwhelmed, but your father helped me."

"It's okay to blame me, mum. I've done it too" said Beca.

"Well, I don't. Only... Becs, you were such a happy, good little girl until your father and I got divorced, and I've only seen you that happy on the photos and videos you showed me of your performances with the Bellas, and then you came, and sang again around the house, and played with... you seemed happy again. And it hurts me to think how you threw herself in that job..."

"A job that I'm in love with" interrupted Beca, and Sarah sighed.

"I know you do, honey, but I know you hate how absorbing your fans are sometimes, and how they'd speak about you like if you were a piece of meat, and I can't help wondering if maybe wouldn't have been better for us all for you to just be a DJ and nothing else..."

"Mum, you're right, sometimes I hate being famous, I do, but the reality it's that I am famous because of how good I am with what I do, and that it took me ages of hard work, and lack of sleep, and I fought so hard for this, and it feels damn good to be admired by my work, I'm proud of that" Beca explained "I just want you to tell me if you seriously think that maybe you don't hate that part of my work because it sometimes makes me uncomfortable, but because you think they would still be alive if I was just a low profile DJ."

Her mother took a little time to think.

"Sometimes I do think that you job lead you and us to lose a bit of our privacy, mostly your privacy, and that made us feel less safe. But... Aubrey talked to me early in the morning when you were sleeping and we were taking a cup of coffee... and she changed my mind, mostly."

"Yeah, she changed mine too."

"A real woman that one."

"Yeah, I owe her I guess." They exchanged a smile.

"But Becs?"

"Yeah?"

"After what you told us last night... I can't help to ask myself sometimes if, being that monster something you knew, it's your fault. So excuse me if sometimes that overwhelms me... but know that deep inside, I know very well you are not the one to blame, that sometimes I just need to blame someone."

"It's okay mum. I understand, I've been there, even Joseph was there not long ago somehow. Let's go, I'm a bit hungry today." Beca didn't wanted to stand her mother hurting, so she lead them towards the table, and sat beside Jesse, while her mother sat beside her father.

"Beca, police called while you were asleep" commented her father.

"Why didn't you woke me up?"

"You needed to rest" he replied simply, and before his daughter could speak, he cut her off "anyway, they just said that they'd like to talk to you, they wouldn't say much, but they did say that they had some suspects already, so you should go to the police office after breakfast. The officers that guard the home can take you there."

"Nah, I can go on my own. I still can borrow your car, right mum?"

"You will be carried by one of the officers." Affirmed her dad, before Sarah could respond.

"Dad, no offence here, but I'm twenty four, I'm old enough to take care..."

"Your brother and Kendra were twenty nine, and look what happened" cut Alan and Beca stood at him with eyes wide opened. The small talk that the others were doing stopped suddenly to look at them. "You are still my daughter, Beca, and you will let me take care of yourself. Everybody knows you are safer with an officer than on your own, or with anybody else, and I won't let nobody hurt you any more."

"With all due respect" Beca objected politely "I'm kind of hoping for that bitch to come and get me, instead of hurting me by hurting the ones I love. She's after me, dad, and we both know it, so we may as well just see if she can come and get me, and then I'll beat her fucking ass and..."

"Enough of this, Beca. Do as your father said." Interrupted Sarah, firmly. "You wanna play the age card? Fine, then you are an adult, and you'll be mature and responsible enough to do what you know it's best for us all."

Beca wanted to say something, that she was a badass, that she could defend herself, that she didn't need anybody, that they were making her feel weak and _nothing_ , but she knew it was best to just shut up. So she stared at her half pancake, finished in silence while feeling her friend's staring at her, and when everyone started to get up, she went upstairs to get dressed. While she was changing, someone knocked softly the door.

"I'm naked!" and as if she had just said _come in, I'm ready_ the door opened and for a second Beca died, but relaxed, as it was just Chloe, who sat in the bed closing the door after her.

"Sorry, just wanted to see how you were"

"It's fine, Chlo" Beca sighed turning around from her. She was in front of her tiny bathroom's mirror, putting a shirt on, but left the bathroom's door open so she could see Chloe's reflection in the mirror.

"So, how are you?"

"I'm great, awesome" she heard Chloe sigh.

"Really?" Chloe asked knowing the real answer and Beca turned around with the hands in the sink, resting her back in them, and letting go an exasperated sigh as she looked at the ginger.

"Well, not really. Just, really Chloe?" she let another exasperated sigh turning around to face the mirror and went to fix a hair lock behind her ear, but stopped midway, and sighing again, turned again to her previous position looking at Chloe "How can I be even close to fine? A fucking psychopath turns out to be somebody I know, and murders in an horrifying way half my family, including my only and innocent nephew, and now" by now she had started rambling and talking a bit loudly in her exasperation, pacing around the bedroom "now, everyone sees me as somebody weak, a baby who needs to be taken care of, and I'm fucking starting to feel that way! And I'm scared, and freaking out, and traumatized, but I don't wanna feel like that, and I don't want people making me feel like that! I just wanna feel like someone strong, a kick-ass woman, the person I've always fucking been, and not some depressing shadow of what I used to be, and they won't fucking let me!"

"Whenever I take care of you, snuggling or anything... does it makes you feel that way? Does it Becs?" Chloe asked in a sweet whisper, like a kid who asks if Santa exists, and like a parent in that moment, Beca felt exactly that sadness inside.

"Of course not" Beca answered finally, and honestly.

"Why is that?"

"Because" Beca let herself fall sitting in the bed beside Chloe and staring at her eyes while gently squeezing her hand "because you've always been like that with me. You're always the caring one, the most sweet, kind of mother person I know, and you've always been there, so when you treat me kind of like a baby, I just feel like I've never had to keep my walls up with you, like it's only you being your normal self, and like I maybe need someone like that in my life to be like that towards me. And even though you well know that I'm not as kick-ass as I may seem, you still treat me like I were, you make me feel stronger, not weaker, and I think that's what comforting someone should feel like."

"Then, what's the difference? They are your parents, shouldn't they be like that too?" Chloe replied looking at her.

"Not if they're gonna keep looking at me with such a sadness, like if I made them feel terrible, and on top of that they had to take care of me. They... they haven't really been in my life for a long time. They don't know me as you do, and it's also my fault, but the reality is that they don't know how to act around me normally, even less now, so they treat me like I was a bomb about to explode, because they should be like that towards be because as my parents they somehow have that responsibility, but they don't know how, and end up making me feel uncomfortable" Beca was always surprised to see how easy it was to open up to Chloe.

"Beca, then you need to treat them more lovingly. You realize how much it cost me to get you to open up to me without feeling uncomfortable or obligated? To get you to let me care for you and take care of you wherever was needed? Your parent's never could, because you felt resentment towards your mother after how she was with the divorce, and your father, even if he somehow paid up by helping you after college, deep inside was just some good mate for you, not your father" said Chloe.

"What do I do?" asked Beca feeling that she was starting to wonder that too often.

"You can't let them in without feeling uncomfortable because you can't forgive them hundred percent and take them as your parents. So try to forgive them once and for all, or at least, when they try to be caring, try to stop thinking in the negative part and more like they love you and want you to be fine, stop looking for the slightest of things to feel bad when they're just trying to take care of you. You do it, unconsciously, but you do" she added, seeing that Beca was about to argue "Just... just don't think so much about it, just let them be. Don't try so hard, and that'll help."

"Okay" murmured Beca, and after a few seconds, decided to just do that, and without thinking twice, kissed Chloe's cheek softly "I love you, you know that, right?"

"Yeah" Chloe smiled blushing and patted her arm "now go! They're waiting for you at the police office" she wanted to come too, but felt like letting her go alone would help her feel more like herself again "Call me when you're coming back!" she added as Beca hurried and stormed downstairs.

An officer took Beca to the police station, and she soon found herself in an interrogatory room, in front of detective Harmon, a brown-haired woman, tall and skinny, with fierce brown eyes.

"So, Beca" started the detective "We've been chatting with the detectives in LA regularly, and they gave us this" she put a small plastic bag in front of her, in the table, and Beca looked. Inside was a paper. Beca took the bag to see it closely and realized it was like they had took it the pieces of the note that was inside Jackie's box, fixed it and cleaned enough to fully read it.

"What do you want me to do?" Beca asked disgusted letting the thing in the table.

"Read it, please" reluctantly, Beca took it again and read it in silence, ending up with a tear down her cheek. It said:

 _Here you have him, Becs. Say hi to little Jackie... the poor screamed so much I had to rip his tongue off firstly, but keep making weird noises while I'll cut his fingers until he passed out. Then, I made a long cut from neck to the waist, so deep his organs just came out, and he moved a little, but bleed out quickly. His parents were even better, because I made him, your brother, honey, watch her first, and then I did the same to him. Your family is as tough as you are, so they always took long to pass out, fortunately, more fun, yeah? And the best is, they keep asking for help, when it was all your fault. This is entirely your fault. I told you you'll pay for what you did to me, didn't I, Becs, love?_

Beca was thankful that she couldn't read it completely the first time, as she had wanted to stop several times this time but obligated herself to go on, knowing the detective wouldn't torture her for nothing. At the end, her eyes were watery, but she wasn't crying, she was too hurt and too shocked to cry, she had almost forgotten how to breath, but pushed herself harder to hold on and look at the detective, not being able to find her voice.

"I'm sorry, but I needed you to know what I'm talking about now as I say that this woman, whoever it is, had a deep connection with you. She doesn't only know you, but feels certain affection towards you somehow, or that's what the analyst said. She used words like _Becs, love, honey_... so I needed you to read it and tell me if you can recognize the handwriting, because I could swear you can, and I cannot understand why you'll protect this monster and not say who it is."

Beca shook her head and looked angrily at her.

"You seriously think I would protect this horrible piece of crap?! No! I, I do recognize the handwriting, I did it that morning, but as I couldn't give an exact name, or face, or anything, why say anything? I've been thinking every single hour that goes by, but I only know I've seen this handwriting before, but I don't know where or why..." a tear left her eyes, she felt sick, sweating cold and trembling a little.

"Okay, I'm terribly sorry Beca. Would you allow us to go over your place in LA, see if we can find anything with this handwriting that would help you remember?" Beca nodded "now you're free to go home, Beca. Detective Jones will take you there."

Beca sat silent, pale and cold, all the way home, after sending Chloe a quick text right when she left the station. Right when someone opened the house's door, she slipped in quickly, ran towards her bedroom, shut the door, and then towards her bathroom, and locked herself there.


	5. Chapter 5

_**I'm thrilled with the reviews, the amount of follows, and the few favourites. I'll do my best not to let you guys down. Now, I gotta warn you, this chapter may be sadder to read than the others, depends of the person of course, but I don't know. I also promise than the most tough moments have almost 90% sure ended by now, there's only sad ones, happy ones and romantic ones from now on, I believe, maybe with one or two exceptions. As you all know, I don't have the rights over Pitch Perfect, but I do have them over the plot of this fic, its writing, and the characters I've made up.**_

Chapter 5: Hide.

"I said I'm fine!" Beca said for the fifth time, sat in the bathroom's cold floor, with her back on the door. Not even three minutes after locking herself in, she could hear voices in her bedroom, knocks in the bathroom's door, and they were asking her to _damn Beca, would you please open the fucking door?_.

"Becs? Becs, please, don't do anything stupid. Talk to me" Chloe's worry made her heart ache.

"Chloe, honey, I'm not gonna do anything stupid, I won't hurt myself, I swear on my nephew's grave, but please, please, could you make them all, including yourself, left my bedroom and go somewhere else? I just need to be alone for a while, I haven't been alone in so long, and I'm not used to it, and I need time to think. Just give me an hour, and I promise, I'll come find you" Beca did her best to keep herself together for just five more minutes, she couldn't let herself go until she knew they didn't have their ears against the door.

"Promise?"

"I swear, please, Chlo"

Beca waited until she couldn't hear anything, and kept herself sitting in the ground, closing her eyes slowly. She went over the letter in her head one time after another, and went over every event in the past couple weeks, and at the end, she took herself into the small shower that, contrary to another bathrooms in the house, didn't have a bath tube, just a pile, and sat there in the nude, giving herself a cold shower while crying, because she felt like she was going to pass out, she even needed to stop a moment to puke in the toilet of how sick she felt. She suspected she was going over a panic attack, but refused to ask for help and ended up passing out, curled in the shower's ground. When she awoke, she felt so wasted that moved to reunite the little strength she had left and got out of the shower. She took a towel and while she dried herself, she looked at her phone, and surprised herself discovering that lunch time had already passed, she had been there for over three hours and surprisingly, Chloe had gotten to keep everyone, including herself, away from her. She definitely owned her a big one. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was wet and messy, her eyes reddish and watery, her face pale, with little colour left, big purplish bags under her dark blue eyes, and she was skinnier, but because of that, she seemed taller too. She looked as tired and death inside as she felt. She only wanted to go to bed, but remembering her promise, she did her best to look great, and went downstairs in the surprisingly silent house.

Finally she found her friends chatting quietly in the living room, and took a moment to really look at them. Jesse was sitting on the couch, one arm over the back of it, hugging Aubrey. He looked fine, a little sad maybe, and a little tired, but great. Aubrey, sat beside him, looked very tired, but relieved to see Beca, and she looked good nevertheless. And Chloe had her head on her best friend's knees, her own feet nude in the couch, her knees up like looking to the ceiling. The ginger looked stunningly beautiful, even if, like Aubrey, wasn't wearing make up, or had her hair slightly messy, and Aubrey was stroking it lovingly.

"Beca" Aubrey was the first one to notice her, since Chloe's eyes were closed, but opened up after hearing her. Beca could feel their need to hug her, and was internally thankful when they hold themselves down.

"Where are my parents?"

"They went to take away, but don't worry, an officer's following them closely" Chloe went to sat straight, but before she could do that, Beca sat in her couch, her back supported against a pillow in the side of the couch, her legs huddled in each side of Chloe's looking at her friends.

"I owe you all a really big one" Beca said.

"You can start by telling us what happened" said Jesse and Beca nodded taking a breath and clearing her throat, her voice sore from crying and screaming.

"The police is in great tracks. They recovered a note that was with... with Jackie, and let me read it. And it killed me, because it was so... the bitch wanted me to know what she did to them, step by step, she let me know and dared to blame me, and she proved... she proved she had had some kind of close relationship with me, and I recognized I knew the handwriting. However, I didn't put a face to it, so I gave the police permission to try and find that handwriting somewhere in my house."

Beca was looking at her knees while talking and when she looked again to the front, she couldn't describe their looks. Jesse looked like he had just seen a dead body, Aubrey looked... so angry, and Chloe was a mix of wanting to kill somebody and pure sadness.

"I didn't let her get to me, because I remembered your words" she added, locking at Aubrey "but it still killed me inside, it still does, and I didn't wanted to pretend to be okay, I didn't wanted to kill my parents inside too, or try to make anybody understand anything. So I locked myself out, dealt with it, cope, and now here I am. I didn't hurt myself, although my head hurts a little."

"And are you okay?" asked Chloe.

"I won't be for a very long time, but I do feel like I was a bottle of water, that exploded, and that has cracked a bit, but it's still useful and can keep living its life. So, somehow, I do feel better."

"Good" Chloe nodded and sat straight "Can I hug you know?" before Beca could give an straight yes, she lunched forward and hugged her tightly. And seconds later, Beca discovered herself in the middle of some body pile, the three friends hugging her from everyone, and it was so ridiculous that she stared laughing, and suddenly, all four of them were, and then they cried their eyes out, but they were together, and it felt fine.

Beca found herself sleeping pretty good, with nightmares, but she just woke up silently a few times, snuggled against the sleeping Chloe, and went back to sleep. Her parents had arrived for dinner, and while her friends took care of the cooking, she talked to them and told them everything but in a more _for children_ way, hugged them, and even tried to cheer them up during dinner. She was just cleaning the table after lunch the next day when her cellphone rang, and as it was in her pocket, she just took the call and keep cleaning.

"Beca Mitchell? I'm detective Harmon."

"Detective, hi" she had recognized her voice "what's up?"

"We found a couple letters in some boxes in your home's office whose handwriting coincides one hundred percent" Beca felt her heart skip a beat.

"Who is it then?"

"It wasn't signed... well, being honest, I think you better come right about now."

Beca hung up, shouted a " _I'm gonna see Detective Harmon!_ " and ran out, shouting a police officer from the ones watching the house right outside to open the door, and was in the station in twenty minutes, sat in a meeting room in front of the Detective, with a paper between her hands. Her heart almost stopped beating completely as she recognized the letter and knew what it was before even starting reading. It said:

 _Dear love:_

 _I know you said it was better for me not to know about you anymore, but I couldn't stand it. I have your scent stuck in my nose, and I see that sweet smile of yours in my eyes every time I close them, and at night I remember your sparkling eyes, and every part of your body, and the way I'd make you scream. You are the sweetest, the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I know we don't now each other so much, but do you have any idea of how wonderful would it be for me to get to spend every day of my life with you, the woman I love more than anything, and get to know you? How great it would be for me to get to have little versions of you running and playing around our beautiful, country home?_

 _This is why I did everything I could to finally find you. I know you though I didn't have your number anymore, because you saw me erase you from my contact list yourself, but what you didn't know is that I had it in my computer, how crazy is that? But I was so crazy, I'm so crazy in love with you I didn't want to lose you. I never want to lose you, Beca Mitchell. Yeah, I found out your last name, like I found out your direction. I have a friend who is very good with this things, and he helped me find you, so now here I am, telling you how much I love you, and how much I miss you, and begging you to come to me, and you know where to find me. Just come home, and we will live happily ever after, and I'll make you pancakes everyday, and I will make you love every day for the rest of our lives, and buy you flowers, and you will work as a music teacher so you don't have to be always at the office, and that way, you get to come home and play with me and our kids, little Owen, who will look just like you, and Sally, Grace, and Jeremy._

 _I know you want this as much as I do, and that you love me just as much, I'll wait for you, my sweet, sweet, beautiful Rebeca Mitchell. Yours, always._

 _The love of your life._

Beca's hands where trembling, and she felt sick to her stomach. She knew perfectly who this letter belonged to, if she could just remember the bastard's name... but she couldn't. She looked at the detective giving her the letter back. She had forgotten she even had it, supposed that she had just put it in a mess of what seemed like important documents in a box quickly before moving to her then new home.

"It was between a bunch of papers in a box" the detective said, as if reading her mind "so, who is this person? Seems to love you quite a lot."

"That's not love, that's sickening obsession" Beca mumbled, and Harmon nodded "It... it happened... I think it was back in 2016, I think it was around Christmas, I had just gotten a new job and starting to have actual success, but I had so much work and so little money yet that I couldn't afford to go to Portland for Christmas, or Atlanta. And my best friend and roommate, Jesse, had just gone to New York City a month earlier, so I was... kind of lonely and exhausted and depressed, you could say" she started remembering "And I started living the bad life of LA. I had been there for a year and a half, and it was my first time alone, and my first Christmas alone, and I already had to work in Christmas, because you see? You don't have money to take a plane in Christmas, when the prizes go crazy, so you work more to get the money, and end up working in Christmas anyway. And I got invited to some crazy parties and staff for my new job, and spent everyday or drunk or barely sober, but couldn't sleep until noon because, of course, work. But it was my dream so I kept fighting, knowing that things were starting to get better, you know, everything gets worst before getting better, and in the meantime, getting drunk and going to parties seemed to help somehow. But I ended up sleeping with... anyone, really."

"And you slept with this person?"

"Yes" Beca took a deep breath and reclined in her seat, looking at her hands intertwined in her lap "I don't remember her name, and I can't quite put a face, but it was a she, actually, there were a few of them. I'd go to a party, club or pub, after work late at night, get drunk, and people would just start smiling at me, and winking, and well, you know... they'd offer to invite me to another cup, they'd start flirting, and I'm not very used to being the kind of girl people just start flirting with, so I'd take another cup and let myself go, and ended up in their beds. Each morning I woke up really soon, take their phones, erase my number in the case I had given it to them, and go home. That way, they never knew my name."

"Well, someone knew, and even had your number. Sure you don't remember?"

"You don't understand, don't you? Those days I was mostly drunk, let myself drink enough to forget everything soon."

"But you said this was a woman, so you remember."

"Yeah, because Jackie said it was a woman, and the note was of this person, who I know was a woman, and slept with, even if I don't quite remember her face or name."

"So what do you remember?" the detective was being patient "try harder."

"I..."

"Just close your eyes" Anna did so "you say you remember this letter, can you remember the day you got it?"

"Yeah... I had just came from work, and it was in my door. I remember after reading it I freaked out because I had barely seen this woman a couple times."

"So you saw her more than once, it couldn't be just a one night stand."

"No, she wasn't... I think... I think I met her at a friend's birthday party, we hook up that night, totally drunk. In the morning, I woke up to find her staring at me, and that crept me out, but she convinced me to give her my number, just to hook up wherever I felt like it, she gave me hers too..." she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at the wall "she was blonde. Hot, tall blonde, the cliché, stunning grey eyes, very pale face, but pinky cheeks, curly locks of hair, big boobs, big ass, strong arms, long legs... everything about her was cliché. But she was crazy shit. She called me a week later, I had almost forgotten about her because I was so busy, and we had a wild night... in the morning, I decided she was crazy sexy, and sex was awesome, but we didn't belonged together and honesty, I knew something was seriously wrong in that brain of hers. She became jealous with my work, my friends, anybody who called or texted me while we were kissing or snuggling or whatever, so in the morning, I told her we weren't a thing and that I couldn't see her anymore, she offered to be my whore basically, and I had had enough. I asked her to erase my number, which I stayed to see her do so, and I went back home. Next day at night, I came back from work to find that letter under the door, and I had no idea how the hell she found out where I lived, but it didn't matter. The following week I moved to my actual place, after having a huge succeed with something at work, and I was several neighbourhoods away from her so never knew from her again."

The detective was writing everything down quickly.

"So you think you could describe her to a draughtsman?" Beca nodded.

It was very late when Beca came home that night, but she still talked about the afternoon during dinner, telling the people who she never had the courage to talk about that one time she went around LA getting drunk and sleeping with whoever could give her a good night, about that one time she ended up hooking up with a woman, and not only that, but a mental one, and she ended up falling in love with Beca, or that's what the woman seemed to think. She tried to be sensitive, thinking everything before saying nothing. The 24 years old version of herself was surprisingly look alike with the 21 years old one. She had substituted her dark eye-liner for a simple dark grey shadow, she wore a soft make-up even though she hadn't bothered to wear it since she found out her nephew's dead body. She had similar dress-code, maybe sightly more professional, adult or sophisticated, but anyway, for as long as she had been in Portland, she had just put on the first thing she saw in the closet. She was wearing simple jeans, a sweatshirt, a foulard and some convers in that moment, and her ears where empty.

"So you had sex with a woman?" Jesse said louder than necessary, an smirk in his face, with the fork suspended in the air, and Aubrey looked at him with what seemed to be the intention of saying _Jess, mature much?_ But Beca could see a tiny tiny smirk on her face that the blonde was trying to hide. Looking at Chloe, she saw her biting her lip and staring at her food like if it was talking.

Beca put her chin on her hand and looked away mumbling:

"A few of them, actually..."

"I'm impressed Becs. All this time you got us thinking you were about to become a nun, and now it turns out..."

"I was basically being a whore?" Beca said looking at Jesse with an small smile "Yeah, I know Jesse. I'm ashamed, that's why I wouldn't tell."

"I didn't mean to..."

"Please, just let it go. Don't worry, it's fine."

"So you're... gay, bi?" her mother asked.

"I'm..." Beca sighed "look, I don't know. I haven't been with a woman ever since" knowing Chloe was there, she was careful not to say _feel attracted towards_ , and just looked at her parents "I guess I just wanted to have fun, or maybe I'm bi, who knows, the only thing I care for right know is that because I was an immature drunk whore, no excuses there, half my family is dead now." She ended a little pissed off and sighed.

"Don't ever call yourself that again" said Chloe suddenly, like she had been biting her tongue to avoid interrupting the brunette, but as calm as always, despite the fierceness of her shinning blue eyes "the fact that you felt so alone that you needed to have sex randomly doesn't make you a whore. And the fact that you slept with that... being, doesn't mean that she couldn't have met anyone in your family or you in any other way and killing anyway."

Beca looked at her surprised, the fact that in a table where there were her parents, and that before them, Chloe had been the one to step out and defend her even when she was the one saying hurtful words about herself, said more about the ginger than a thousand words, and left Beca speechless.

Late at night, Beca was curled in her bed, watching rain drops running down her window as an strong storm hit Portland like if it's sky was so sad it was the time to cry itself until the morning. I was nearly 2 am, but she hadn't been able to sleep at all, despite getting in to bed almost three hours ago after an exhausting chess play with her dad, who had insisted in playing with her saying it had been long, but Beca thought the real reason was that she was quite bad against him. She just couldn't get the damn letter out of her name, thinking time after time trying to get the name, even if she didn't know the last name. She could remember the blonde's laugh, her way of moving her hips to the music's beat, of seducing her... and she had fell, like the drunk asshole she had been.

She could hear Chloe's breathing slowly, her back against her own, and tensed up when she felt the ginger stretch a bit and turn around, letting her arm fall over her hip, and letting a sigh go right behind Beca's ear, as the brunette closed her eyes trying to control her heart beat, which became pretty hard when the ginger's hand, that until then had just been hanging in the air, moved to caress Beca's belly softly, stroking the skin with more love than Beca remembered being ever touched.

"You haven't slept one bit, right?" Chloe asked in a whisper.

"No" answered Beca letting a reserved breath come out "I can't. Every time I close my eyes, I think of how dark scared Jackie, and I hear their screams like if I had been there."

"It's just your imagination playing tricks on you..."

"I know" Beca turned around, so Chloe moved her hand to stroke the lower part of her back now, and Beca kept her own hands against the mattress right between their chests, looking into Chloe's beautiful blue eyes and thanking the storm from giving them a bit of light so she could see her.

"You look so drained" Chloe whispered, her head over her other arm's armpit, so she could remove a lock of hair from Beca's face.

"Even when I sleep I still feel like I haven't rested one bit when I wake up" Beca confessed, venturing her right hand over Chloe's waist and making small circles with her thumb around her hip "I can't even start to explain the huge relief it is to have had you right beside me through all of this."

Chloe smiled and used the hand with which she had moved the brown lock of hair to stroke the upper part of Beca's head gently.

"I could never let you go alone through anything half like this. In fact, I was a bit offended knowing that I spent one Christmas and a New Year's Eve happily with my family and some of my very best friends thinking that you were having a huge stars party in LA when it comes out, you were all alone and sad."

"I know, I'm sorry. It felt so wrong lying to you, though, and I'm kind of happy of not having more things to keep away from you." Beca said.

"Well, now you're here with me, and that's all I care about. Though..." Chloe composed a mischievous smile "...did you slept with a lot of women then?"

"I don't remember, if I'm honest, but yeah, I think so" Beca smiled playfully "did you?"

"Well, we both now that I finally did some experimenting after college and no regrets. I think I might be bi, though I've been with more men than women... but you know what? It's great, I wouldn't mind having a serious girlfriend."

"Wouldn't you, right?" Beca smiled.

A minute or so passed in complete silence, until Chloe whispered:

"Do you want me to help you fall asleep?"

"Then, who will help you?"

"I can only relax when you are relaxing..."

"Then, okay."

"Close your eyes" Beca did so and Chloe started singing softly "The good ol' days may not return, and the rocks might melt and the sea may burn. I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings, coming down is the hardest thing." in that moment, Beca cuddled against Chloe, hugging her "Well some say life will beat you down, break your heart, it'll steal your crown. So I've started out, for God knows where, I guess I'll know when I get there. I'm learning to fly, around the clouds, but what goes up must come down, must come down but..." Beca couldn't hear more, she had fallen asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Heey, thanks for everything, although I'd appreciate some reviews, even more if those come from new people, there are just so many of your opinions I'm missing!**_

 _ **So, this chapter was crazy hard to write for me, and I mean that I actually cried in some parts so... you've been warned! But I find some kind of great beauty in it either way. Thanks for the support, the reviews are always loved, so let me know what you think of the story, feel free to give me advice or ideas too :)**_

 _ **Also I'M GIVING CLUES TO THE REVIEWERS ;)**_

Chapter 6: Loving was the hardest part.

That day, Beca had decided it was going to be the day she went to her brother's house, where she knew she will eventually have to go. Firstly, someone needed to pack his brother's family things, but also, she psychologically needed to know what happened. The details, everything, to the point where she could almost feel their fear. It wasn't that she was any kind of masochist, but she thought if she went through that, she would become stronger, and would fight against the one who killed them more fiercely. But anyone was going to let her go alone, so she accepted to be joined by her friends, knowing that either way, she couldn't pack everything all alone. It was going to be a tough day.

Police had already finished with the house, and there were only a couple officers in cars at the door, and some yellow tape around the place. The Mitchell-Stone house was a beautiful house in the middle of a great family neighbourhood where everybody had kids, the kind of place where neighbours would celebrate with barbecues with each other in the weekends, or send their kids to the same school and everything else. The house was big, two-floor building, with a big, great garden that now looked pretty abandoned. Beca had been there back in July, when Jackie had turned two, and they had made this huge party in the house, with some friends of the Mitchell-Stone family, and Sarah, Alan -Sheila had once again to stay in Atlanta, but nobody missed her really, maybe they missed Addie, but not Sheila- and herself. She remembered helping her brother to put decorations all over the place, and everything was so full of colours, and clean, like if the house was brand new or even better. And they had made a barbecue, and Beca hadn't had such a great time with her family in forever, but since Jackie's birthday everybody had gotten closer for him, and even Alan and Sarah stand doing things together, and they all had laughed so hard Beca had even cried when she had had to go back to LA, but in exchange, as she had to work in August on her own birthday almost the whole day, Jackie has promised to skype her that day and they had talked during hours, the two of them too childish and energized -despite the hard day Beca has had- that they just couldn't get enough. Beca cleaned one tear that was about to come from her eye while standing in front of the place, just by thinking about it.

"They have cleaned the blood already" the officer said opening the door for them "but they weren't actually killed here."

"What do you mean they weren't killed here?" Beca said surprised.

"No" the officer said "according to doctor Alexander and the investigation, the murderer broke one of the basement's windows right over there" he said pointing at some brush that was supposed to cover the window "the glass was pretty tough, but the woman brought an axe, so... and then" they moved through the house, Beca trying to focus in what the man was explaining instead of the house's details "your brother, we think, came down the basement, probably after hearing the noise, this must have been around five hours before the woman called you or so... well, he came" they were at the top of the dark basement's stairs "and she somehow knocked him down, there was some blood in the ground like from a broken nose, so we think she hid and when he got down, she attacked from behind and hit him with a bat that we found, and then, of course, Kendra had heard something, so she came down too, but the murderer had already left the basement's and was waiting downstairs for her" they were moving around the house following the steps of the killer and were now looking up at the stairs that lead to the second floor "we think she hid behind that closet, and that right when Kendra passed, she knocked her out the same way she did with Joseph. And then she took them somewhere, it shouldn't be a very far away place, but some witness said he saw someone take some black, big plastic bags into a truck around ten pm, so we believe she put them in bags, and carried them where she killed them and dismembered them, and then she brought them in around six in the morning, and left their pieces spared all around the living room's floor."

By the time he finished, Beca was almost in tears, looking at the living room. The officer left them alone, and Chloe squeezed her hand gently. Beca saw she was holding tears back, and that Aubrey was cleaning her cheeks while Jesse hugged her with one arm.

"So, what do you think if Aubrey and Jesse gather up Joseph and Kendra's staff, I take Jackie's, and you take everything around the living?" Chloe asked softly, and Beca realized Chloe was trying to keep her from confronting her nephew's bedroom, and she was truly thankful, but shook her head.

"No... Aubrey and Jesse, okay, you take care of my sibling's staff, and they have an office too so... yeah. But I'll take care of Jackie's. I need to. Although, I could really use your help, so, do you think we could fix the living room first and then go upstairs to Jackie's?"

Chloe nodded and each of them went to work. Fixing the living room wasn't easy, even less the few times Beca had to stop holding a frame -because of course, they had to be the kind of family that puts frames, drawings and everything everywhere, just so full of memories- and cry silently for a few seconds.

Eventually, Jesse told them they where going to the office and Beca, seeing there wasn't much left to do at the living, guided Chloe upstairs towards Jackie's bedroom. The plan that day was just to put in bags the important things -clothes, toys, frames, or anything that had some high value or that they really wanted to keep- and left the rest for some professionals who would come a clean the whole house so they could just sell it, even if Beca hated the idea.

Beca took a deep breath before opening the child's bedroom. It was a small room, all blue, walls covered in cars and animals, there was a small bed with a railing, the quilt matching the walls, there were toys everywhere, and drawings, and some shelves full of children's book, Beca having read all of them to the kid at night more than once, and a closet full of his clothes. Chloe knelt down and starting picking up toys, while Beca started picking up drawings while trying the hardest not to cry. She soon realized Chloe was humming titanium, probably to try and think in something else so she could stay strong for her, and Beca wanted to do the same, but had a huge knot in her throat. Chloe was picking up some clothes and putting them into a box, when Beca saw a little pyjama of pirates she had -among a twenty other things- gave Jackie in her last birthday, and she took it sitting on the city carpet that covered the ground with an small smile, tears running down her cheeks silently.

"He loved this... I gave it to him, and it was daylight, and he put it on and wore it for three days, he only removed it for the bath, and he even tried to put it on to go to the kindergarten" Beca commented, and Chloe composed an small smile sitting beside her.

"It's very pretty."

Beca nodded and let it fall in her lap, taking in the whole room's look, and sniffled feeling a pain in her chest that just wouldn't go away. She remembered thinking that putting pictures all over the room was great because that way the kid would kept the faces and memories easier, but right then, that was killing her. And then she saw it. There was a picture in the night table, and she took it with trembling hands and covered her mouth with one of them trying to keep a sob down. In the picture, she was sitting in the ground, in that same room, with a less than a year old Jackie sitting in her lap in a dinosaurs pyjama that Beca was sure she had also given to him, and she was reading him his all-time-favourite tale, _Jack and the Beanstalk,_ with a face that, together with the sudden memory, told Beca she was actually dramatizing it. Kendra was sat beside them, laughing, and Joseph was the one behind the camera. Beca would also sing him to sleep more times than she could count.

And she starting crying, as loudly and tragically as when they had told her he was dead, and Chloe hugged her, and Aubrey and Jesse came in hearing her from rooms away, and she just let herself suffer hugging Chloe for dear life. Because she didn't want to live anymore, the pain inside her was just too much to handle. She felt sick, and dizzy, and all at once, it was like if she hadn't cried a thing all those days and was crying it all in that moment. But she did cry before. And the others sat with her, also crying, but in great silence, because all of that was just too sad. The fact that somebody randomly kidnapped a family and killed them, an innocent, good family, and they had to suffer so much just to die. The fact that a little boy had to stay in the darkness for a day, knowing anything, crying and screaming alone, only to be dismembered alive. The whole thing was just... horrifying.

Until at one point, Beca's breathing started getting all crazy, and Chloe had to talk sweetly, and stroke her back, and kiss her forehead, and whatever, because Beca couldn't have a panic attack that let her unconscious or something. So, she calmed down, and stood there even if Beca screamed stronger than she had ever heard anybody scream, and apologized one time after other to her death family because she was so, so unbelievably sorry, and couldn't help it. And at the end, she was just more dead than alive, and everything hurt, so Jesse took her in his arms and carried her back home for a long nap before the funeral.

And Beca was looking at the ceiling, laying on her bed a few hours before the funeral after waking up seconds ago, when Chloe climbed into bed and stared at her just lying on her side, until Beca turned her whole body around to face Chloe.

"You know the only thing that could really kill me after this?" Beca asked, and Chloe shook her head "Losing you. I know we don't talk as often, and that we barely see each other, but God, every time I see you I could swear my heart skips a beat. It has always been like that, probably, but I think I only realised after the worlds. And every time I leave you, I'm already daydreaming about our next encounter, that it has, of course, already been scheduled, and doesn't matter what happens, I would rather be the most unsuccessful person in the whole wide world before cancelling on you. Every time I feel alone, or happy, or just every freakin' time, I think that it would be better with you, and that everything will be perfect once you're here. And I don't know why I was with Roger, maybe I liked him, a lot... but he wasn't as good, and nobody will ever be. It took me a lot of one night stands to be sure, but I am now." Beca sniffled and held back a sob "I... I don't even know what I would've done if she had hurt you... I... don't know what I'd do without... if..."

"Sh..." Chloe smiled cleaning a tear from the other woman's cheek with her thumb "Don't do this now, okay? Not like this. Not because you feel so bad, not because the world is upside down and everything seems too dark to be true."

"Does that mean that... that maybe I shouldn't have said anything?"

"No, no, no, no" Chloe shook her head and smiled "I'm glad you did. But I just want to make sure that you don't regret..."

"I won't!"

"I know, sweetie. But really, wouldn't it be so much better if our memories together didn't have to be linked to this tragedy? If the day I'd tell you I love you, you didn't have sad tears in your eyes, and such a pain inside, but happiness and love?"

"You... you love me?"

"Sh... not now honey, let's not do this now" Chloe smiled sweetly stroking her cheek "we'll have time. Good things shouldn't be rushed."

"But... what if we don't? What if she...? What if there's no tomorrow?" Beca broke something inside Chloe when she looked at her with such a worry and pain in her eyes.

"If there came a day when the possibility of a good morning kiss was too low, then, I'd hold you just like this, and I'd tell you how much you mean to me, and I'd give you a kiss good night. And even if it was the last kiss to ever be exchanged between to persons who love each other so much, it'd be endlessly, and entirely worth fighting for, worth everything" Chloe whispered softly, kissing Beca's forehead twice, and squeezing the smaller woman against her "love is louder than anything else, Becs. Just have faith, and I promise, it'll be okay. I will never leave you, because we're meant to be, and that monster can't help that. She can't avoid the fact that doesn't matter what, you'll never love her like she wants, and that I'll never stop loving you." Chloe smiled softly when she heard Beca's soft, deep breaths, and realised the brunette had relaxed so much in her embrace that she had fallen asleep.

Not long later, Aubrey woke them both up, dressed with a beautiful black dress that seemed warm enough, given the fact that it was cold outside, starting the fall, and it had been raining all the week, and very little and soft make up, to get ready to go to the funeral. She had woken them rather early knowing that probably Beca would need more time than the rest of them to get herself ready, due to her own pain, that was beyond imagination.

"Are you ready?" Aubrey asked softly sitting at the feet of the bed, while Beca sat straight and Chloe rubbed her back gently.

"I'll never be. But I can do this, I will do this" Beca seemed quite determined, and sat up, going through her closet until she found a black long-sleeve dress and a dark coat, together with some dark woollen tights and boots with small heels and went to the bathroom to dress up. Then, she let Chloe do her hair while Aubrey did her make-up, in a way that she didn't seemed to be wearing any make up at all, but her tiredness was left hidden and she had some added beauty in her face that you just couldn't tell where did it come from. And for they surprise, Beca didn't even had teary eyes, and all the way to the church -the same one where her brother had somehow became a husband, Beca thought- she didn't flinch, and seemed to have found some kind of unbelievable strength. She even read, like her father, some passage of the bible, and sang some sweet and sad and at the same time beautiful lullaby that Jackie used to love asking her to sing to him before he fell asleep. And she didn't cry one bit, and her voice didn't tremble a thing, and she even showed an small sweet smile while singing and looking at the small coffin where the rest of all three together had been deposited, into three small urns inside.

After the brief ceremony, everyone except, probably, her, had at least wet eyes, or like Sarah, was crying her eyes out. But not Beca, she seemed relaxed, and yeah, sad, but more strong and determined than what nobody had seen her in the week they had already been there. She even drove the car later, because she was the only one between the six of them that was stable enough to do that, and she was humming a song softly the whole time. They went to the cemetery, that was a beautiful place very close by. It was a large field, in the outsides of Portland, near a stream that made a soft noise that could be heard all over the cemetery, that was covered in fall leaves, and full of old and new graves. One of them, under a big tree and in the middle of a sea of brown leaves, read _Joseph, Kendra and Jack Finley Mitchell. You are always loved, and unforgettable._ In front of the grave there was a deep enough whole, and a bit more apart, like twenty wooden chairs -despite the fact that half Portland was there, so the chairs were left to the Mitchells and the Stones and a few close friends-, leaded by an small podium with an small microphone, for the family and friends to say some sweet words. A few close friends and family members later, Beca stood up in the podium, her parents not being able to put together two words, but she seemed fine with it and even smiled a bit.

"Today, we say see you later alligator" she started looking playfully at the hole, that was still wide open, but already had the coffin inside "to three of the most amazing people I've ever met. I've always had a great relationship with my brother, Joseph, but I guess it got even better after I grew up and matured a bit. For those who didn't know him so well, he was amazing. I mean, I never really say I know someone entirely, because I don't, but we talked about literally everything, and he was always so kind, and humble, and honest. We both used irony and sarcasm too much, and we both had kind of a shadowy side, but he had some inner genuine kindness I could never have. I guess that's why he was such an amazing teacher" she smiled widely when some of his students and co-workers shouted softly some _hell yeah_ or things like _that Mitchell was one hell of a person_ and other sweet staff in agreement "as for Kendra... I never knew her as much as I would've wanted, but she was caring, and damn funny, and we became really good friends. At first, when they met at college, I thought, _damn, this girl is too girly for him_ , but later in life, one day my brother told me they had fought, and it had been really bad, and that he didn't know what to do. And by then he had just finished college and I had just gotten into Barden University, so I just told him _man, if you love her, you do whatever it takes to have her back, because losing the love of your life is gonna hurt much more than recognising you failed or that you can be wrong sometimes and saying I'm sorry_. And thank god he went and never let her go, because if not, then we wouldn't have gotten to meet the amazing Jack "Jackie" Finley Mitchell" she smiled looking somewhere lost "I still remember the day Kendra called me freaking out a bit and saying she thought she was pregnant by some weird accident and that what if your brother leaves me Beca?!" she imitated putting some loud voice and some people laughed a bit "and I had been in LA for like seven or eight months, and was working as a DJ almost every night, and had just broken up with my now best friend, and was kind of tired, so I just told her _girl, stop talking nonsense and pee in the damn stick, and then leave it where Joshie can find it_ " some people laughed again "fortunately, she was more delicate, but nine months later, as my luck seemed to be growing in LA, I received the most beautiful phone call saying my only nephew had just arrived to this world, and I can't remember a happier feeling than holding that tinny reddish thing between my arms. But somebody did something horrible to him, and to them all, something that doesn't have a punish that would leave me content enough, and that can't be forgotten or forgiven, and they aren't here with us anymore. And they left in a horrible way, and now, I will never get to ask my nephew what does he wants to be when he's older, or to make fun of him when he gets a girlfriend or a boyfriend, or to see him grow a beard and start looking all like his daddy, as I'd never get to hug my brother once more, or my sister, and tell them how much I love them. No goodbyes, no anything" her voice trembled a little, but she breathed deeply and stood still "But if that monster was here, I would tell them that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, so now she can be hell of afraid of this tiny, tiny Mitchell, because we are a family of fighters, and the tiniest are the worst. And because the damn monster got me really, really angry, and if I find her, she will wish to never have been born, because it will be worst than dead. She may laugh, but little things hurt more than being hurt by the one you love, or in her case, are obsessed with, and I'd hurt her so bad..." she smiled shaking her head "I'm not afraid of _falling as low_ " she gestured apostrophes in the air "as her, because I know doesn't matter what I do, I could never fall so low. I could never be that monster, but if I can inflict her a quarter of the pain she inflicted my family, not even myself, then of course I will, doesn't matter what. And now if you'd let me, I'd like to tell Jackie's favourite tale, because I know darkness really scares the crap out of him."

And then, she looked at the grave, and in the sweetest of ways, she told the whole _J_ _ack and the Beanstalk_ , voices and noises included, and everyone applauded, and laughed or cried, and just like that, they were all passing in front of the grave in their way out, throwing inside the hole just a flower and with the spade throwing a bit of sand into the hole, and Beca left the last one, knelt in front of the hole and whispered, a couple tears in her cheeks:

"Goodnight guys... and don't worry. Aunty Becs is going to make sure the monster who did this to you gets her punishment... may you rest in all eternal glory, as you represent everything that's good, pure, and better than us all."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you all! This chap is all flufly and romantic, I promise. Very BECHLOE.**

 **Also, reviews are highly appreciated.**

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Chapter 7: Love is louder.

"I was singing to you, you were singing to me, I was so alive, never been more free... Fired up my daddy's lighter and we sang oh... Stayed there 'til they forced us out. We took the long way to your house... And I can still hear the sound of you saying, don't go. When I think about you, I think about 17, I think about my old Jeep, I think about the stars in the sky. Funny how a melody sounds like a memory... Like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night... Springsteen" One morning, Beca found herself playing the piano in the living, singing a song his brother has sang in his wedding.

She thought the song was beautiful, and that Joseph could perfectly well have written it himself for Kendra, but the author was actually Eric Church. Her brother loved country, he would play the guitar or the piano for hours, and Kendra had a sweet voice, even if she couldn't play any instruments, but always encouraged them to teach Jackie how to play as many instruments as he could, saying that music created amazing brains. Beca had woken up that morning pretty earlier, only after her parents and Jesse, who was sitting beside her, singing softly with her. She had woken with that song stuck in her head, she didn't know why, and without even getting dressed, she had had to sat in the piano and play it. She heard some steps in the stairs, and suddenly they were joined by Chloe and Aubrey, singing happily "I bumped into you by happenstance, you probably wouldn't even know who I am, but if I whispered your name, I bet there'd still be a spark" they kept singing and Beca shivered when she felt Chloe's hands caressing her shoulders and intertwining her hands hanging from the brunette's shoulders as she kept playing "Funny how a melody sounds like a memory, like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night... Springsteen, Springsteen, oh, Springsteen"

After the last piano notes finished, they stood there, like if they had just touched heaven and were coming back into reality, slowly. It had rained all night and it had finally stopped, like if the heavens knew they were on a better mood, almost a week and a half after the murderers.

Beca and Chloe hadn't spoken much after the funeral. Beca found herself crying in the basement when they arrived home, very silently, looking through photos on one of their albums, and the other days, Beca just thought it wasn't time to talk about feelings with the ginger. They spent the day quietly, just goofing around a bit and trying to keep themselves cheered up.

"Chloe and I are going out for a bit" Beca told her parents after lunch.

"Really?" asked the ginger, exchanging a surprised look with Aubrey.

"Yeah, you've been here for quite a while, and you haven't gotten to know my home town yet" Beca replied with a smile, and took Chloe out "And guys be here tonight, I'm taking you somewhere fun!" Beca made sure of shout into the house as they left. She knew her parents hadn't gotten into the _let's move on_ phase, but she wasn't going to let her friends get sad all day in that house after all they've done for her.

Beca took Chloe into her mother's car, and, letting a police car follow them, drove all smiley but refusing to break the surprise, towards the woods and the _Presumscot River_ , and parked in the outdoors.

"Where are we?" asked Chloe excitingly looking around herself "I can hear water falls!"

"Yeah, come here" Beca took her to some bushes and pointed down with the finger. There was a establishment were it seemed like you could rent canoes and other kinds of boats, and there was this beautiful river "Welcome to the Presumscot Falls in Portland, Maine. One of the three wonders of the world." Beca said proudly.

Chloe opened her eyes widely, a huge smile appearing in her face.

"We could have come here with the guys! This is amazing! I didn't even know you did rifting, I have never done it..."

"Well, if I had taken them today, it wouldn't have been as special as I wanted it to be for us. We'll come with them another day..." Beca laughed watching her enthusiasm "Yeah, my father used to take us here all the time when Joseph and I were little, and we kept coming here as adults, Jackie loved it here. Come on, we can rent a canoe and go to the falls, I'll teach you!"

They went down there using some wooden stairs and bough some clothes they sell there for the people that hadn't brought a change of clothes to be able to get wet, and put some life jackets before getting into a canoe for two, Beca all professional in the front, and Chloe right after her, listening closely as Beca explained the basic knowledge. Chloe couldn't avoid being impressed by the way the brunette seemed to know perfectly well how to do everything and she was amused by the laughs they started having.

"Ready for the falls?" Beca shouted and before Chloe could answer, they were down in the rapids, and soon everything was quiet and calm, and Chloe could see everything was just too beautiful to be true, and so amazing, and she couldn't understand how anybody could prefer LA to that, but she guessed being there all the time should be boring. She was full of adrenaline, and had loved every second of the adventure. Then, Beca turned around to face her "now we're in the open river, and soon will be in the sea" Beca announced happily "now we can relax, it's quite calm from now on." Chloe started laughing hysterically, and Beca soon joined, and stopped after a while "What's so funny?"

"I just remembered! An officer was with us, and now he must have a hell of a poker face!" Chloe laughed.

"Yeah, maybe it wasn't the safest idea, uh?" Beca whispered, worried suddenly.

"Oh, come on, don't worry so much. I'm sure that monster won't find us in here, and if she does, we'll kick her ass with the oars and drown her in the sea... nobody will ever know."

Beca smiled.

"You are pretty scary sometimes, you know?" Chloe smiled widely by all answer.

"Anyway, you haven't told me if this is a real date" Beca brushed.

"If you want to... then I'd love to" Chloe smiled sympathetically and Beca smiled too "I did want to talk to you about the other night."

"What do you want to say?" Chloe asked sweetly and looked at Beca's eyes so intensely that Beca couldn't believe she said what she did next until she had said it.

"I'm in love with you" Beca whispered, and Chloe was at a loss of words "I've loved you since forever, I love everything about you. I love how stunningly beautiful and sexy you are, and how much like fire your hair is, and the sparkle in those amazing blue eyes you have, and how you laugh, and your voice, and... and... everything. Even your flaws, I'm deeply in love with them too. With all of you." Beca said, and once she started she found she couldn't stop herself. She had been having feelings for the ginger since as long as she could remember, but after the worlds, she knew the ginger wouldn't want to move to LA with her, and she just saw her happy on her own and didn't want to lose her friendship. But now, she was done with the what ifs... because she knew maybe there wasn't a tomorrow to see the consequences so she might as well just enjoy the moment.

"I'm in love with you too" Chloe said then, and Beca had an small heart attack.

"You... you what?!" Chloe laughed.

"I'm in love with you too, dork!" Chloe shouted playfully and a group of people that were in a boat close to them smiled at them. The ginger caressed both Beca's cheeks in her hands and smiled at her widely "I love those perfect eyes of you, and your shadowy side, and the way you cut everybody with sarcasm and irony, and your voice, and all your talent, and, the way you're shorter than most of us, but also braver and stronger, and I love your smile, and the way your hair is a mess in the mornings..."

"You're... you're in love with me? Like for real? No jokes here?"

"Yeah, of course I'm in love with you. How could I not be, you dork?" Chloe smiled and Beca smiled at her, their faces millimetres from each other, and then Beca slid her hands under Chloe's wet shirt, caressing the low part of her back, and Chloe trapped her upper lip between her own, closing her eyes, and Beca moaned, deepening the kiss and closing her own eyes, just focusing on the kiss, on Chloe's hands in her cheeks and in her neck...

An hour and a half later, they were back in the car, singing _Titanium_ with their whole hearts a throats until they got home. When they got out the car, they saw a police officer laying in the ground, but he wasn't bleeding so they figured he was just unconscious and they ran into the house, their hearts beating painfully in their chests as they heard noise into the house.

"Stay behind me and if you can run and hide, do it" Beca said and before Chloe could reply, opened the door, that was already half opened. The first thing they saw, was Aubrey laying in the ground, but a moan of pain from her let them now she was alive, and then they followed the sounds towards the living, where they found Jesse punching someone hard on the face, and a police officer starting to wake up in the ground.

"Portland Police, put your hands where I can see them, you're arrested!" shouted suddenly someone behind them, and Beca and Chloe saw the officer that had gone _with_ them to the river pointing a gun towards the two persons fighting. Jesse had a lip broken, but apart from that, he seemed fine and fighting pretty hard, whilst the other person couldn't be really seen. Beca saw it was wearing a dark brown hoodie a couple sizes bigger than what it probably should be, men dark jeans, mountain boots, and a dark scarf plus a mask covering her face. It was a tall person, a Beca knew it was her, somehow, because it had to be her, but the clothes she was wearing were big or manly enough to not let her see if she had boobs or a particularly feminine ass. However, the officer had scared the masked person, and when soon the office they had found unconscious in the door appeared holding a gun too, the masked person ran away, and Beca couldn't help herself when she ran after her, together with an officer, ignoring the screams, and feeling the adrenaline and her heart beating, running faster than she had ever ran.

"Stop there, you bitch!" Beca shouted, getting into the garden after the person, who had ran away using the back door, and she saw that the person was about to ran into some trees than separated the garden from the road, where Beca spotted a dark truck.

"Portland PD, stop right there or I'll shoot!" the officer, who had gotten a bit closer than Beca to the person, stopped in his tracks and shoot twice, but the person managed to slip away between some trees, got itself into the truck, and they were gone before Beca could reach the road.

"Fuck!" Beca shouted to the nothing, not being able to read the license number because the truck disappeared after a curve.

Both the officer and her stood there speechless, recovering their breaths, until they decided to come back home. The other officer and the one that was waking up when Beca arrived a minute earlier where now one of them talking into her walkie talkie and the other putting some ice in the back of his neck. Alan was standing up putting an ice pack in his forehead, and Aubrey was sitting on the ground, blood coming out of an small wound in her temple, and confusion written all over her face while Chloe put another ice pack over the injury and Jesse talked to her trying to make sure she was okay.

"Beca!" Chloe handled the ice pack to Jesse and ran towards Beca, hugging her strongly "Don't ever do that again!"

"I'm sorry" Beca apologized and looked at the officers "What the hell happened? You're supposed to protect my family, there was only one unharmed person, and somehow managed to knock out four people, two of them damn police officers! And where's mum?" she added, looking at her dad.

"My apologizes, a firecracker was thrown at the porch, and I went out of the car to see what happened, but someone hit me with a bar in the back and I got knocked out" said one of the officers, visibly embarrassed.

"I was in the other side of the garden, and I ran towards the firecracker gun in head, but before I could see the guy, he or she threw something to my hand and my gun fell, and then I went to hit him/her, but the guy knew some karate moves or something, and still had that bar, and beat me up."

"We heard the commotion outside, your mother had gone with another office to downtown to buy some things for diner, so we were alone. After hearing the noise, Aubrey and I went to block the door with the table, but the guy was faster and had already broken the door with a kick, and threw me against the stairs and hit Aubrey really hard with the bar." Explained Alan.

"I managed to punch the bitch hard on the nose before, I think I broke it so now you guys can narrow the search to bitch with a broken nose" said Aubrey proudly, stirring the fingers of a bruised hand. "And then the officer came back."

"Right, I had woken up and ran towards the house" continued the officer that had been first knocked out "When I arrived, Dr. Mitchell had just been knocked out, and I was in perfect position to shoot the masked person, but the bitch had taken away my bullets, and the gun wouldn't work, so taking advantage of my sudden surprise, the guy hit me hard in the temple with the damn bar." Now Beca understood why the officer wouldn't get up from the couch, and closed the eyes when had finished talking.

"I was in the attic organizing the boxes from your brother's place, and started going down after hearing the firecracker" said Jesse, and Beca turned to look at him "I had taken your brother's baseball bat had hit the guy hard on the nape" said Jesse proudly. Then Beca saw both a bar and the bat in the ground. "I thought the guy was going to collapse, but it was freakin' strong, he or she barely stumbled a little, and then turned around and punched me in the stomach. Then I went to kick between the legs, see if it was a man, and I don't know, it surely hurt like hell, but as I said, we're talking about a professional fighter, it has the pain threshold quite hard, so the monster but a bit of distance and then just kicked me hard on the stomach, and did some karate moves and knocked your dad out again, right when he had managed to almost kick the guy hard with a chair" Jesse explained, and Beca and Chloe were looking from one to another quite surprised "Then I used the distraction to take it's own bar and hit it in the back, and when the guy turned around, Becs, you won't believe it, but Aubrey had somehow waken up, took a clay frying pan and hit the bastard hard in the head, you should have seen! Anyway, that almost knocked him/her out, I could tell, but still the bastard kick her hard on the belly and she fell unconscious, and then I hit the guy again, and we started punching each other, and then Chloe and you came and the rest you know."

Beca stood speechless and then she heard sirens outside and realised there had arrived a couple ambulances and a police car in which was her mother, and another one from which Detective Harmon came out.

"Okay, party's over. All who's hurt, go to the ambulances, I'll go explain mum everything. Great job guys, I'm proud" Beca smiled a bit and went to greet her mother.

A couple hours later, after the beaten officers had been substituted by another ones, including some more in the back yard for extra safety, everybody gave an statement to Detective Harmon, somebody fixed the door, and Chloe, Sarah and Beca ordered the house until it seemed like nothing happened, and Jesse, Aubrey and Alan received great doses of painkillers and where cleared by the doctors, who said they had just some pretty bad bruises -Jesse even had a purple eye, and their bellies were full of bruises- and some minor injuries and concussions but nothing that was worth a trip to the hospital, they sat together for dinner.

"Well, how was your afternoon?" asked Aubrey hiding a grimace and looking at Chloe and Beca, who sat together in front of her, with curiosity in her eyes.

"It was awesome, Beca took me to do rifting in the Presumscot River!" said Chloe excitedly and everybody looked at the brunette surprised.

"You took the girl there?" Alan smiled gladly "it's one of the most beautiful places in the world."

"I told her, one of the three primary wonderlands" said Beca proudly with a grin.

"I can't believe you knew how to do rifting and never told me anything! We could've had better dates" said Jesse smiling.

"Well, the woman's full of surprises, but she's kind of awesome in the river" said Chloe looking at her like if she was looking at her first born after it's first word "and guys, next time you all could come!"

"Yeah, wait until I can run without wanting to die" whispered Aubrey in irony but smiling "you took care of my girl, right Shorty?"

"Of course Sir" Beca joked around.

"But in the meantime, if everybody feels better tomorrow, why don't you take them to downtown, eh Rebeca?" Alan teased joking, knowing that she hated being called her full name.

"Dad...!" Beca smiled softly "good idea man. What do you say guys, maybe we can go somewhere fun at night?" her friends nodded and she looked satisfied.

"But Alan, Beca, we just someone just tried to kill you all, not to mention we buried Joseph, Kendra and Jackie less than a week ago!" Sarah said scandalized.

"Mummy" Beca started in a soft and lovingly tone, remembering her conversations with Chloe "That monster already took away from us part of our family, we can't let her take away our freedom too, the little we've got left. Two, these guys have barely left the home in more than a week, they need some fresh air and fun for a change, three, we'll be with a cop the entire time, as there are like three more here than before, and she won't attack us in the middle of the city, and lastly, you might find some relief in knowing whoever it was, didn't try to kill any of you."

"She didn't?" asked Aubrey surprised.

"No, I was just discussing it with Detective Harmon before, if she wanted to kill you, he/she, had plenty of chances and used any. For starters, it could have just taken two cops' guns, and instead, she just removed the bullets from one of them, she could've used any of the knifes in the kitchen, and instead, it just have a bar, and if the guy wanted to kill you, knowing martial arts, I think he/she could've have done it easily, knowing were to punch and how hard." Beca explained easily "Detective Harmon said it means either or all of three things. One, the person had the good staff hidden, two, just wanted to show me that it can come into the house and hurt my loved-ones easily, and scare us in the process, or three, it was going to do like with the others, knock you out hard enough to kidnap you and... well, yeah, kill you."

They sat in silence looking at each other and thanking internally that fortunately they had gotten to save themselves.

"Becs honey, I think you should not repeat today ever again putting yourself in any unnecessary danger, risk your life like if it was worth nothing sounds disrespectful towards them" Sarah said then, trying to sound kind.

"I know, mum, it was terribly stupid, but I only did it because there were three cops in the room, and I knew that person was unharmed, and I couldn't just let go what probably was our only chance to catch him/her in flagrant."

"I just realised, why don't we just stop calling the masked one he/she? Isn't it clear already that it was the murderer, the girl who obsessed with you years ago?" Chloe said suddenly.

"Well..." Beca shrugged "Detective Harmon and I were also talking about it before. The fact is, that I know of, I've never slept with anyone particularly good at fights, but it has been years, so yeah, it could've been her. But on the other side, Harmon has also been trying to find out how... well, she says, Joseph and Kendra were attacked at 8PM on Friday, and murdered around 11PM, whilst Jackie called me at 1AM on Saturday, and they say he was killed two hours later, and found near 7AM, and that his parents were found dead around 8AM, which means she had to somehow get Jackie's body to LA in like four hours approximately, and at the same time kill his parents and witnesses indicate she left them in their house around six. So, how does a person flies a 7h flight in that short time? And she had to be in LA in a hour to leave Jackie's body, because there's no way the mail guys would've left him, but she could've left him a couple hours earlier I guess... Harmon thinks either she isn't working alone, or has a place somewhere in between and a jet or something."

Later at night, Beca felt Chloe sleeping hugging her from behind, but Beca hadn't fall asleep. Not because she was sad or needed to talk or anything, but because she couldn't stop trying to think how many women she knew that could fight, that had had karate lessons or something, or at least, she tried to remember the name of the one crazy person she had ever slept with. God, at least she hoped she had only carried one crazy person to the bed in her life. She had looked through _djbecs_ twitter earlier, but after having talked about it with Harmon, it seemed police had closed down the account.

"Your thoughts are so noisy" a cute and sleepy voice mumbled behind her ear, and Beca smiled turning around without letting go of Chloe's embrace, and got as close as her as she could, although she barely had to move for that, and put a lock of ginger hair behind Chloe's ear before kissing her in the nose softly and then in the lips. They had decided to keep their relationship a secret for now.

"I'm sorry" Beca kissed her again and this time Chloe, despite not having opened her eyes yet, deepened the kiss.

"It's 'kay" Chloe whispered and pressed herself even more if that was possible against Beca's chest, cuddling "What were you thinking, anyway?"

"Just trying to remember her name for the police. But I'm done, let's sleep... plus, tomorrow is October 4, which means Jesse's turning twenty four" Beca said cuddling against Chloe, kissing her temple and then closing her eyes.

"Yeah... that's right."

"Now that I think about it... you've missed like two weeks of work or so, can't they like kick you out?"

"Nah, I told them my mother, who luckily lives far enough from Atlanta, was really sick and my father was too old to take care of her alone. They said take all the time you need so..."

"Aw, my girl is so sneaky and clever and sexy..." Chloe smiled and hugged Beca stronger.

"Sh..." it was early in the morning, and Chloe was trying to keep her giggles controlled while she and Beca sneaked into Jesse and Aubrey's bedroom. Beca had the door slightly opened, and they stopped a second to see that Jesse was curled in his side of the bed, fortunately in his pyjamas, and Aubrey was hugging him from behind "look at those dorks..."

"Yeah, I'm done" Chloe whispered before running to the bed and jumping in it screaming "happy birthdaeee Jesseee!" Beca laughed and copied her.

Aubrey and Jesse jumped in a second.

"What the hell?!" started Aubrey but before she could finish, Chloe had hit her really hard in the face with a pillow, and soon, they started a pillow fight while singing happy birthday loudly and jumping.

"We love you Jesse!" Beca and Chloe went to hug Jesse at the same time, laughing, and Aubrey looked at them with a smile. Jesse had a huge smile in his face and hugged them back "Happy happy birthday, we'll make a huge party in New York super soon, promise!"

"Hey, let me too" Aubrey said pushing them away, and once they did, she cuddled next to Jesse "Happy birthday love" with a tiny smile and kissed him hard on the lips.

"Aww, this is too pinky, let's go, I'm hungry" Beca complained pulling Chloe out.

"Oh, but they're so sweet!"

"We are sweeter" Beca said once they were out of their sight, she pulled the ginger close, and kissed her passionately on the lips, leaving her all red and out of breath "Am I right?"

"Whatever you want, just kiss me" Chloe mumbled absent-minded and Beca smiled and kissed her again.

They went downstairs, were Alan had done birthday pancakes, that were normal pancakes but with more sugar and smiley faces in syrup, and later they had home made cake for lunch. The beaten ones felt much better that day, maybe Aubrey was the only one that still felt like crap, but yet she insisted she was fine enough to go with Chloe, Jesse and Beca to celebrate downtown, were, according to what Alan told them he had seen on the internet, was a small local concert that night, although he and Sarah didn't felt like going and let the others had fun on their own, that said, obligating them to accept the company of a couple cops that were going to look for them from afar.

So they went upstairs to get ready, thinking of maybe going to the concert, going to some fancy place for dinner, and then hitting some good karaoke pub and forget their problems for a while. And because of that, they were dressing themselves fancier than they had been doing in a while, Beca even wanted to wear make up again, specially her famous eye-liner, like in the old days, and mentally apologised to her brother and his family for wanting to have some fun after thirteen days hurting.

"Wow, you are... you are..." Beca looked at the ginger speechless as she stopped midway when was sitting in her bed about to put some heels on and Chloe went out of the bathroom.

"Pretty?" Chloe said shyly. She had taken a long shower -and Beca had a really hard time doing her own make up in the same bathroom at the same time without jumping into the shower with her, and Chloe teased her singing _Titanium, the damn lady jam-_ and was wearing a beautiful blouse, and very tight jeans, and her hair was like on fire and stunning, and even if her make up was very soft, she was incredibly beautiful. Beca had thought they wouldn't look as sexy as they could because it was damn cold outside, but Chloe had proved her wrong.

"Pretty?" Beca laughed finishing to put her shoes on without blinking nor pulling her eyes away from the other girl, and went to her "You" she kissed her softly in the lips "are" she kissed her again "the most" she kissed her neck and put her hands in her hip bones "amazingly" she was leaving a trail of kisses back to her lips "stunning" kissed her in the lips "sexy" she smiled widely seeing Chloe had her eyes closed, her lips sightly opened, her cheeks a colour that definitely wasn't caused by make up, her breath almost absent "star" she gave the girl a deep, slow and loving kiss on the lips and put a small distance between their faces "I've ever seen" she finished leaning in to kiss her again, this time they both hugging each other and kissing each other slowly, deeply, and sweetly, just enjoying each other and every second of the kiss, without hurrying it, shrouding themselves into their own magical world.

That until they heard a quick:

"Guys, are you ready?" from Aubrey and the door opened "oh, sorry, we'll wait!" the door closed immediately and Beca looked at Chloe sceptically.

"I think our little secret is out" Chloe laughed "I'm gonna kill that best friend of yours."

"Oh, admit it, she's your bestie too" Chloe pushed her playfully and softly on the chest and left her hand there, pushing herself against the brunette "So if they already know, no rush?" she said with a sexy wink.

"Damn I love you" Beca smirked and they kissed each other again, but Beca stopped again "but it's Jesse's birthday, and our lipstick is dead, and we should probably be heading out."

"Yeah, I hate when you're right" Chloe admitted and they opened the door, founding a blushed Aubrey talking softly with Jesse, who had a huge grin across her face as they looked at them.

"I knew something had to happen after so many nights sharing bed" Jesse joked playfully.

"Oh, shut up" Beca replied, but smiled a little "Okay, quick with the questions so I can get drunk."

"Woh, when?" Aubrey asked looking at Chloe smiling, and the ginger blushed just like Beca.

"A... yesterday at the falls. And it was perfect, by the way" Chloe answered softly.

"How long was the secret supposed to last?" asked Jesse.

"I don't know, we only keep it because it doesn't feel right after everything that's happened" said Beca "so keep your lips closed in front of my parents, right?"

They nodded in understanding.

"Then, let's go get drunk!" Chloe said excited moving her hip in a sexy way while jumping towards the stairs. Beca couldn't avoid her gaze going to the ginger's perfect butt.

"God... this girl's gonna be the death of me."

* * *

 **So what do you think? Any ideas, prompts, anything? :) you can find lots of bechloe and pitch perfect in my brand new tumblr, justapointinthebechloe. Ah and don't forget reading closely the chapters, I've worked my ass off to get little clues here and there and some of you already know what's going on!**

 **Also, I hope you liked it, show your support and next chapter will be here soon! (it's actually written, already) Love you!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Say thanks to _xcombixgirlx_ , who got me so excited with reviews that I just have to give another chapter soon. This one is one of my favourites so far, I gotta say. Keep trying to guess :)**

 **And also big thanks to _JustLettie, vahuene_ , and all the wonderful guests and everybody who reviewed. Giving follow and favs (thanks to those too, by the way) it's amazing and really good too, but if it wasn't for the reviews, I wouldn't know what your real thoughts and opinions about the story are, and your amazing and kind words keep me excited and in a mood good enough to write until chapter 13 in like three days so... just keep going.**

 **Before I forget, I was writting in GB English because that's what we usually learn at schools here in Spain, but realizing that being Beca and everything from USA, I had changed the Open Office Writer language to American English. Sorry for any inconveniences.**

 **I love you nerds.**

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Chapter 8: Party hard.

Beca didn't know how did it happen, but they had found a great free concert and somehow, there she was, dancing like if there was no tomorrow with a read head that was moving as sexier as she could against her, and she didn't know how did she get so lucky. Jesse and Aubrey were also dancing, and screaming the song's lyrics, and previously, they had told the singers it was Jesse's twenty four birthday and half downtown has sang an enthusiastic _Happy Birthday_ to the boy, followed by the a cappella version of _Sweet Caroline_ , that someone very drunk person had started singing and the rest just followed.

Now, they were making themselves at home in some sofas in a corner of one of Beca's favorite karaoke pubs in Portland, not that she specially enjoyed karaoke, but when she was drunk or with the right people, it was fine.

"I'm gonna go get some drinks ladies" Jesse said smiling as he headed to the bar. After drinking the first couple drinks, Aubrey and Jesse threw themselves to the karaoke singing some cheesy song, and then Chloe drank her tequila shot all at once and followed.

"Guys, I wanna dedicate this to someone" Chloe said giggling, quite drunk, and Beca observed amused from her seat "she's an amaaazzzing person who, believe me, has gone through some shit lately buuuut she's here tonight and she's still standing and I just looove her so much. B, honey, this' for ya" Chloe looked at her straight in the eyes and everybody cheered and applauded looking for Beca grinning as she blushed. Meanwhile, Jesse was recording everything with the phone. Music started sounding and the ginger sang sweetly "We were sittin' up there on your momma's roof, talkin' 'bout everything under the moon, with the smell of honeysuckle and your perfume, all I could think about was my next move. Oh, but you were so shy, so was I, maybe that's why it was so hard to believe, when you smiled and said to me  
"Are you gonna kiss me or not? Are we gonna do this or what? I think you know I like you a lot, but you're 'bout to miss your shot, are you gonna kiss me or not?" It was the best dang kiss that I ever had, except for that long one after that, and I knew if I wanted this thing to last, sooner or later I'd have to ask for your hand. So I took a chance, bought a wedding band and I got down on one knee, and you smiled and said to me "Are you gonna kiss me or not?" Chloe sang playfully, and by that time Beca had already gotten to the small stage with a micro and right when Chloe sang that, looking each other in the eyes, Beca jumped and gave her a quick but deep kiss right on the lips and everybody screamed and cheered, and then Beca sang with her the rest of the song "Are we gonna do this or what? I think you know I love you a lot, I think we've got a real good shot, are you gonna kiss me or not?"" and kept singing to each other until the end of the song, when they kissed again.

"Now go, I want my revenge" Beca said playfully pushing Chloe out of the stage and took the micro closer to her mouth "I'd like to sing something that you guys don't have in here" she pointed to the screen that showed the songs' lyrics "but a good friend of mine wrote it a few years ago back in college, and I produced it back in the day so I guess she won't mind. Could you? Yeah..." the pianist stood up and Beca took her place, starting the first notes of _Flashlight_. It was like if something magical had just started, the lights turned darker colors, people started reaching their hands on with their phones making flashlights, and Beca's eyes wouldn't let go Chloe's.

And when the song finally ended, Chloe couldn't resist the urge of giving Beca a kiss that blown her away, as the ginger, with teary eyes, threw her arms around the others neck, and people applauded, and for the first time Chloe felt inside something bigger than the butterflies she felt before. It was a total cliche, but Chloe's heart rate fastened, and she felt that every inch of her loved eternally, and deeper than it was ever going to love anyone, but she just keep kissing her, and she knew Beca knew. That somehow, hugging each other and kissing like that, they were both telling the other that nobody was ever going to love them that much, because as every second went by, the love kind of increased, and in that small bubble of happiness and lack of knowledge about whatever happened outside of that bubble, it was like there were a thousand promises, promises to never leave each other, to want to be always there, to want to be their everything, to want to be alone together, and be everything together. It didn't matter if they lived more than three thousand kilometers apart, they would somehow make it work.

"I'm in love with you" Chloe said finally, eyes closed, her nose touching Beca's, her hands in the brunette's cheeks caressing her softly.

"I'm in love with you, too" Beca answered in a whisper.

Somehow they managed to just to back to the couch and sit with their friends, but something had changed, and they noticed, like if they were now connected in a deeper, invisible way, like they didn't need to have their hands all over the other, or anything, but they just knew, without words, that the other was there, loving them immensely, and there were just much more understanding in their looks and faces, and they realized, they barely needed to talk to each other, to know what the other was thinking, or what the other wanted

At some point, Chloe and Aubrey went for more drinks and Jesse went to the bathroom, so Beca stayed in the couch making sure nobody sat there, although people were very polite and the place wasn't too full of people, so most of them just knew that the place was taking and didn't even try. Beca sat there looking at the ginger's back as she disappeared with Aubrey between the people, and then she started looking around, imagining people's stories until her eyes caught someone staring at her, in the arc that served as an entry to a terrace outside. She kept the gaze, supposing that when the guy realized she had caught him, he would stop, but he didn't for a while, and Beca saw his gaze was kind of lost, so she started thinking he was blind or something. Then Beca had the feeling that she actually knew him. He was short, wide, his hair abundant, curly and in a messy dirty blond mass, and his incipient beard hadn't been properly trimmed in a while. Then his eyes focused and with sudden realization, he went very fast towards the terrace. Beca didn't think twice, there was something weird with him, she knew she had promised not to get herself into trouble but, what trouble could a guy cause her in a terrace full of people?

So she followed, walking fast, and when she got to the dark terrace, she realized the only people there was the weird guy trying difficultly to climb a blank wall that separated the terrace with the street, and that was definitely weird, why don't just take the establishment door? It wasn't that far away anyway.

"Hey! You're gonna hurt yourself!" Beca screamed looking at him, actually worried, and he looked back from over his shoulder and Beca saw panic in his eyes and then she knew she had to do something, so she took his ankles and started pulling down "Who are you? Get down, you're crazy!"

"Let me go!" the man shouted with a rough voice that seemed the voice of someone mentally unstable, and he fell to the ground and with anger, took Beca by the shoulders and before she could think of what was happening, threw her with all his forces -that weren't anything to joke about- against the wall and ran away. Beca crashed hard against it, arms first, forehead next, and then fell to the ground on her ass, hitting her crown against the ground and passing out. Then she heard screaming and her eyes opened slowly, grimacing as she noticed pain in her ass' cheeks, the back of her head, or all of it, including her face. She couldn't focus the sight so she closed her eyes hearing steps close and moving a hand towards her forehead, touching what seemed like blood.

"Beca" she opened her eyes again and saw Chloe knelt beside her with worried look "what happened? Are you okay? Does your head hurt?"

"Chloe! You're startling her" reprimanded Aubrey "if she's hurt, the least questions, the better" Aubrey, who had actually made a career in medicine, but she had found such a great job that had abandoned and took some courses to be better at her actual job, sat in the other side of Beca, who closed her eyes and let her bloody hand on the ground, feeling like she really couldn't get up just yet. She wanted to, she didn't like scaring people and even less ruin a birthday party -or any party at all- but she had been blown away, literally, like, she couldn't remember being hit that hard and the worst part was the misunderstanding, she didn't know what the hell had happened to the guy to do that, except she scared him somehow. By then she had gotten to remember why she was on the ground, at least "Honey, take this and get it a bit wet in the bathroom, please" she heard Aubrey talk to Jesse "Becs, can you open your eyes and maybe sit down?" the blonde asked sweetly, which was kind of creepy for Beca, so she tried and, with a pair of hands that came behind her neck and back to support her, she sat down, supporting in her bruised arms too. At least her vision wasn't blurry anymore.

"I... I fell" she tried to explain feeling ridiculous, as Jesse came with a wet paper handkerchief and Aubrey cleaned her forehead with it.

"How?" asked Chloe, one hand behind her neck and the other over her upper leg, stroking softly. Jesse sat beside the redhead.

"I saw this guy that sounded familiar" Beca said slowly "and he was creeping me out staring in there and everything... and once he realized he'd been caught, he ran here and tried climbing the wall, and I tried to stop him, so he wouldn't hurt himself" she keep explaining, feeling less light headed as seconds went by "and he threw me against the wall? That makes no sense... but anyway, the dumb ass did and then ran away."

"So you know who he was?" Jesse asked.

"I think so... but I don't know. Maybe someone from high school? I don't now" Beca answered "I know anything" she said finally, defeated.

"Can you see properly?" Aubrey asked and Beca nodded "and can you stand on your feet?"

"Yeah... but I just need a minute more sitting here. Even if my butt hurts" she added and Chloe smiled a bit.

"Your head is going to seem a balloon tomorrow" Jesse joked.

"Shut up" Beca smiled and closed her eyes again, grimacing as a wave of pain came over her whole head "shit Aubrey, is the injury big? I don't wanna scare my folks."

"Nah, it's superficial, but head injuries always bleed like if they were a big thing" she said as she carefully touched the injury with a finger wrapped in the handkerchief to see how deep it was "we should get you a PET scan done at the hospital."

"Are you kidding? I just said I don't want to freak my parents out" Beca remarked.

"But Beca, we don't know if you hurt too bad! Head injuries are very dangerous, people die of silly staff like this you know?" Aubrey said.

"Becs love..." Chloe started.

"Fine" Beca interrupted "I'll go home with Chloe, you guys keep celebrating, and tomorrow if I notice the slightest of things weird with me, I'll go get checked out, okay?"

"Actually we should all just go home. It's more than five in the morning, and we aren't teens anymore, but I had a lot of fun" Jesse said.

"Yeah, and I can clean those scratches in your arms in home" Chloe added.

"Right" Aubrey said then, standing up "can you stand up?"

"Yeah, of course" Beca said and with the girl's help, she stood up, and then a bunch of things happened at the same time. First, her neck was very sore, she was really tired, and her head felt like an anvil, and then, she had such a sudden need to puke that she barely had time to point properly to avoid getting anybody all pucked.

"You seem perfectly fine" Aubrey said with all her sarcasm as a pair of strong arms, Jesse's probably, hugged Beca from behind and Chloe held her hair back "Come on, Beca, don't be so damn stubborn and at least let me take you to a clinic. Just a check, and we'll be home in less than an hour, promise."

"Fine" Beca didn't have the guts to argue, but she did think she just puked because she had spent five minutes dizzy and she had drank a lot, so she really was a bit dizzy before kissing a wall "Who of my drunk friends feels more like being responsible for us dying in a car crash?" she asked joking.

"I am" said Aubrey, who always drank the less and that day in particular, as her head was still pounding from her own fight, she didn't felt like getting drunk. Plus, she knew neither Chloe or Beca would even try to keep themselves sober, and it was Jesse's birthday, so she decided to be the one that drove home "I barely had a beer."

They stopped in the emergency ward of a clinic and after an hour they told them Beca just had a concussion and they needed to keep a close watch, and that if something was weird they should go to the hospital immediately. They gave her some painkillers, told her to stay awake as long as she could -they knew telling her the regular eight hours after partying all night would be stupid- and reassured that there was nothing broken and that she seemed well enough to be home, and after giving them a long list of symptoms that could mean something bad, they send them home.

Next thing Beca knew, she was blinking at her bedroom's ceiling, lying on her bed at well past twelve in the afternoon, processing last night's info slowly. She had awaken right away with a sudden realization, like if with how hard she had hit her head it just worked better now. Her friends had said something about telling her parents she had fallen and hit her head but that the doctor said she was fine, to avoid worrying her. Beca was the fastest she remembered getting out of bed in a long time, doing it and, still in her pajama, running to the stairs, stopping for a minute as a wave of dizziness came, and then going downstairs.

"Mum! Mum!" she called from downstairs and found them all in the kitchen table having breakfast, or better said, her friends were all finishing the last of their breakfast as they had small talk with her parents, who were making them company as they told them how good night they had had "Mum!"

"Honey, what happens?" her mum asked worried seeing how tense and alarmed her daughter was.

"Do you still have my high school's graduation yearbook?" Beca asked.

"Yeah, it probably is in some box up in the attic, why?"

"I really need to see it!" Beca answered as she ran upstairs. The rest were pretty intrigued, but decided to wait for her to explain herself. Ten minutes later or so, Beca, breathless, was throwing a dusty yearbook on the table and, without even stopping to sit down, turning the pages quickly "I had an idea, it's brilliant, I think I know something big" She finally stopped turning pages and pointed a face in the page "Here, it's the guy I saw yesterday, I knew I had seen here somewhere before!" she showed them the book excitedly "Mungus Etton. He was a total outcast, way older than everybody else because he had some mental disability. His family was really rich, so they had made some agreement with the principal so he could repeat every year as much as he needed, I think he was like six years older than me and was in my class."

"This is fantastic Beca, but why is he important exactly?" asked Alan.

"Dad, don't you get it? He lives here, in Portland, and he fucking threw me against a wall, and was really scared when he saw I had seen it!"

"Wait, you got thrown again...?"

"That doesn't matter, mum!" interrupted Beca and sighed in frustration "We've got a man who actually lives in the same city than us, who has been caught suspiciously staring at me, who hasn't a healthy mind, who's big enough to punch hard, and... and... he could've been HERE, dad!" Beca felt like puking again with so much excitement "He could've kill them! He could've attacked us!"

"Becs, honey, slow down" her father said "Jackie said woman, Beca, not a man. Plus, why would this guy want to hurt any of us?"

"Well dad I don't know, why would he do this to my face?" Beca shouted pointing at her forehead "Maybe my independence or my weirdness or my fucking sarcasm offended him in high school somehow, I don't know, but I do know for sure that I didn't went like _hey, let's run against a wall_ " she said with all her sarcasm.

"Why don't you have breakfast and then you can go call detective Harmon?" Chloe suggested "Come on, you should just relax, excessive excitement it's bad for your head."

Beca looked at her and smiled sitting beside her an accepting a toast.

"Your mother and I have decided to go meet some friends downtown, so if anything happens, call me, right?" Alan said kissing his eldest daughter in the head carefully.

"Yeah honey, have a good time guys!" Sarah waved kindly and headed off to the door.

"Dad" Beca stopped her father before he could follow his ex-wife "Don't get her hopes up, okay? I don't know how she feels with you but yesterday you were throwing knifes at each other and now you are more friendly than I've seen you guys be in like fifteen years."

"Don't worry honey" Alan smiled at her "I know we weren't working long ago and I should have tried harder, not fall for my secretary, leave all of you and go back to Atlanta, but I'm not gonna hurt your mother anymore. I love her as a friend and as the mother of my two eldest, and I guess she must love me the same way, and we've both lost our son, the first kid we ever had and the only one for five whole years, and that hurts unbelievably so we got closer. But nothing else, I love Sheila and Addie" he assured and Beca nodded and he left "Don't go anywhere without a cop!" Beca heard before the door closed.

"So... how was birthday sex?" Beca asked all of the sudden looking at Jesse with a grin. Aubrey coughed and spit her coffee, and Jesse blushed. Chloe couldn't resist a guffaw.

"It was... it... there wasn't birthday sex" Jesse admitted.

"Oh, come on, Jess, we always talk about this things..." Beca looked at Aubrey, and saw no jokes "really? Like, for real? No sex at all?"

"Beca! It's your childhood home!" Aubrey said remarking _childhood_ as Chloe laughed harder "it just doesn't feel right to do... any of that in a bed that could easily have been were your parents conceived you" and then she remarked _conceived_ and Beca grimaced in disgust.

"Okay, now I almost get it. But I doubt I was conceived there, I was born in July after eight months and a half. Plus, I wouldn't mind you fucking in my home, I did, my parents did, and I'm pretty sure Jackie was conceived here."

"Of course Beca had to fuck everything getting to the world early before her parents had everything ready" Jesse joked "but why are you telling us that? Ugh, you don't talk about any family members having sex in your home..."

"Well, July means conceived in winter, and my parents went with Joseph to do some skiing in the Alps every winter, so they weren't here. And don't pretend your whole family hasn't had sex in your place, including you."

"Oh, so you are Swiss actually?" Chloe joked with a smile.

"Like the most expensive watches on earth, that's how good I am" joked Beca and winked playfully.

They spent the whole day in a quiet way, playing around with some water guns Beca had found, no matter how cold the day was, and just goofing around. Beca felt dizzy from time to time, but it was always quite brief and she didn't felt anything else, so she just let it go and had a great day with her friends. Beca also spoke in the phone with Harmon, who promised to take a look at Etton's files. At night, she was in her bed, kissing Chloe deeply in the lips, lying on top of her, and suddenly the redhead laughed against her lips and Beca moved away just a little bit, amused at how beautiful Chloe's laugh was and curious at the same time.

"What?" Beca said.

"It's just... I was thinking about what you said before. You really had sex in this bed?"

"Oh, yeah, I was a teenager once you know" Beca smiled.

"Tell me about it" Chloe requested with a small smile.

"What do you want to know?"

"Where and who?"

"Well, I lost my virginity in this guy's bed after a party, yeah, not anything really romantic, and then one day I was alone in the house and I was horny, and he came over and we fucked in this bed, and that happened more than once with maybe he and four other guys, not all at once" she quickly cleared "but, you know, you've been a teen too... and sometimes we did it in my shower, or in the attic, or in the couch downstairs, but mostly in their places. And once" she said with a smirk "my brother was in Barden, and my dad was with Sheila already, and my mother had to leave for a week for work, and since I was seventeen at the time, she didn't want to leave me alone, but she had no choice because my grandpas lived far away and I couldn't miss class, so I convinced her to let me stay in a friend's place, that was actually my first lesbian friend" she winked knowingly "and the girl had a thing for me, and I was curious, so for a week we would come here at all times and just fuck everywhere."

Chloe opened her mouth in surprise.

"I thought you never had sex with a woman before going to Los Angeles!"

"I didn't really, only that one week. Then I got kind of... like that wasn't right, I didn't like fucking with someone just because I was horny, and use her as an object, and she actually felt flattered and thought I was being thoughtful, so we stopped fooling around."

"I actually got kind of horny" Chloe recognized blushing and Beca rose an eyebrow with a smirk.

"You did, huh? Just by hearing me talk about having sex with people here?" she teased playfully.

"I... yeah."

"How horny you are?"

"Like a bit wet"

"A bit uh? Let's see" and before Chloe could reply, Beca had already slid a hand under her pajama and Chloe moaned when she felt Beca caress her completely with a hand. "A bit you said?" Beca said surprised containing a laugh as she got a hand entirely wet out.

"I'm sorry" Chloe said as Beca smiled widely, blushing hard "Just let me go give myself a cold shower."

"Oh no way, I was taught to mend what I cause. I caused a leak, and I will fix it" and before Chloe could reply, Beca had kissed her with tongue and everything and two fingers were popping in and out of her quickly, and Chloe, who didn't even know when was the last time she had sex, was trying hard not to come too fast.

But then Beca put a hand on her mouth to keep her moans under control, sensing that the ginger was loud in bed, and started a trail of kisses and small bites -she didn't want marks to get her secret out for her parents- from her lips, passing through her neck, entertaining for a while at her nipples, and then down there, getting her fingers out and using that hand to keep her legs separated as she ate the ginger passionately. Chloe let go a deep moan that actually scared Beca a bit, but with her hand was contained enough, and then Beca sensed Chloe cum pretty hard, being left in a state of pure shock as she recovered her breath.

"That was... amazing" Chloe whispered and Beca smiled kissing her in the lips.

"Recover quickly, you caused a leak too" Beca said playfully, but then someone knocked "Shit!" Beca laid on top of Chloe and tried to cover then with the covers.

"Becs, Chloe?" they heard Jesse before the door opened just enough for Jesse's face to enter a bit, but not opened enough to see them "are you awake girls?"

"Yeah" Beca said, not trusting Chloe's hoarse voice "I am, why?"

"It's Aubrey. She's been in the bathroom throwing her guts out and she won't let me in, says she doesn't want to see me like that and she won't let me argue. I think she's really sick and I'm worried."

"Okay, let me wake Chloe up and we'll be there in two minutes."

The door closed and Chloe and Beca exchanged a worried look, Aubrey never got sick.

"Damn Aubrey" Beca murmured.

They cleaned themselves up quickly in the bathroom and went to the other room, that was in front of theirs. Opening the door, they saw Jesse sitting in the guest's bathroom's closed door.

"I'll go see what's going on" Chloe said to Jesse and knocked in the bathroom's door "Bree, baby? It's me, can you let me in?"

"Only you" sounded Aubrey's muffled response and she let Chloe in without being seen.

"Okay, and now we are just gonna sit in here and wait, Chloe knows how to deal with her" Beca said guiding Jesse towards the bed and trying to seem calm and relaxed, although she was really intrigued and nervous, but she knew her best friend was even worse, so she choose to just calm down for him.

"What if it's really bad? What if the fight left her worst than we thought?" Jesse whispered after two minutes without hearing more than a few intelligible murmurs.

"Will you stop?" Beca interrupted "It's three in the morning, I'm tired, and I don't think I can think in the clever, scientific answers you need right now. But somehow I'm sure she'll be okay and that it's nothing from the fight, the doctors saw her and it was days ago" she said and stroked his knee softly "whatever it is, it'll be fine."

Jesse nodded thankfully and then the door opened and Chloe came out with a neutral expression but a small hidden smile.

"Jesse" she said softly "Bree has something to tell you" then a nervous Aubrey came dressed in her pajamas, and holding something between her hands.

"Honey" she started looking nervous at Jesse, biting her lip "I... I'm pregnant."

* * *

 **Any thoughts? Next chapter will be here once this fic gets 30 reviews, so you better convince your friends to read! (hahah joking-not-so-joking). I'm not usually a begger, but I always get reviews from the same three or four persons, and I want to know what the rest of you think, specially with all the follows and favs there. Again, thank you so much and understand that reviews are just as important as follows because it allows writers to know that we are truly being read and that there are people that genuily care about the story. Many of you are writers too and understand. Lots of love!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm posting this chapter despite of what I said (next one will definitely wait for those 30 reviews) as a celebration because I have great news! I've already finished this fic, and have the remaining chapters carefully saved and waiting patiently to be uploaded, and I also have the first two chapters written for a SEQUEL. It has a title already and I know what it's going to be about and everything. Would you guys be up for it?**

 **Lots of love, as always, and thank you for everything!**

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Chapter 9: Crap.

"You're, what?!" Jesse looked between immensely relieved, happy has a rabbit surrounded by carrots, and like Beca had just punched him in the nose.

"I'm pregnant" Aubrey said more firmly and seriously and handed him the stick she was holding between her hands. Chloe let go a one sided smile, her arms crossed above her chest and her eyes looking playfully at Beca, who started opening her mouth slowly in shock "I think it's been a month or so actually, one day I felt a bit dizzy, another crazy hungry, and sometimes I'll puke with no reason. But it's New York and we were working so I guess we didn't really realized something was weird with me. So a couple days before coming here, I was talking with a friend and she suggested I should buy a pregnancy test, and I had it in my purse all the time, but then we came here and I totally forgot, until I wake ten minutes ago nauseous and took the test and came to see... and I... it's positive."

"Holly crap, this is the best thing ever" Beca said, her hands covering a huge smile, looking between Jesse and Aubrey and giving him a soft elbow "Dude, say something!"

Jesse was holding the stick in her hands and had his mouth opened, and a smile had started appearing in his face. Then he looked at Aubrey smiling widely and Aubrey smiled in relief, before Jesse threw himself towards her and hugged her tight.

"We're gonna be parents! I'm gonna be a daddy!" Aubrey nodded with wet eyes and Jesse kissed her and hugged her while Chloe went to sit beside Beca "we are gonna be parents! I can't believe it! Oh my god you're gonna be an amazing mommy!"

"So it's alright?" Aubrey asked softly hugging him back.

"Are you kidding me? It's perfect!" Jesse laughed in relief "I thought you had cancer or something! This is amazing!"

Beca and Chloe looked at them with smiles in their faces as Jesse and Aubrey kissed, and hugged, and kissed again, laughing and crying in happiness and relief.

"And you are totally going to be the godparents" Aubrey added looking at her girlfriends from over Jesse's shoulder.

"Right?" Jesse turned to see them too, and Chloe nodded excitedly.

"Yeah, of course bro" Beca confirmed verbally "it seems like you're gonna have aca-children with a Bella after all, isn't it awesome?"

"Totally, who knows what would've happened if you had kept the no sex with Treble's policy?" Chloe added playfully "I think you own that baby to Becs."

"God, shut up" Aubrey said grinning and looked back at Jesse "A baby! We!"

A while later, Beca and Chloe were back in their bed, still smiling happily.

"Can you believe it? The Bellas are gonna flip so much, I'm seeing a very spoiled baby here" Chloe commented while flipping the covers over them.

"Yeah, it's amazing. And you know the best part? They came here for death, and will go home with a new live in process. Like Aubrey's being a Goddess right now, she's making a human in her belly, not just music and orders, a baby Swanson-Posen" Beca added hugging Chloe in the bed.

"You're right. Aw honey, I'm sorry this happened right when it was your turn..."

"Bah, I'm tired now, let's just leave it for another moment. I love you."

"I love you too" they snuggled closer and, after a few seconds of silence, Chloe asked "And Becs?"

"Uhm?"

"Do you... would you like to, I don't know, have a baby of your own someday?"

"Yeah... maybe, I don't know, I've never really saw myself as a mother, but I think you'd make a hell of a momma, so yeah, why not?" Beca mumbled half sleep and Chloe smiled in the dark.

"I think you'd be an amazing momma too."

In the morning, Beca was surprisingly the first one to wake up. She had weighed the possibility of staying in bed just watching Chloe sleep, but after a few minutes doing so she had decided that on one side, she was hungry, and in the other, maybe Chloe started feeling her stare and woke up, and Beca didn't want to interrupt her sweet dreams. So she went downstairs, made coffee and sat in the couch just watching the first round of police officers in the morning substitute the night turn across the window. She had found a note in the kitchen table that her father had left saying that he was cutting the grass outside, so she went to the window and after spotting him, said hi with a wave. Then she sat again and heard footsteps and a few seconds later, Aubrey appeared with an small smile and a mug of coffee between her hands and sat beside Beca, who smiled warmly at her.

"Did you have a good sleep, momma?" Beca asked jokingly and Aubrey elbowed her softly.

"Actually, I've never slept better. I can't believe there's a baby in here" she said in a low tone, caressing her belly softly and suddenly her eyes opened a lot "oh, shit! I shouldn't drink coffee, right?"

"Shut up, Aubrey, you've been doing that for a month without knowing, and drinking, so for another little mug the kiddo's not going to die" Beca laughed and Aubrey after a few seconds, nodded and took another sip.

"Right, but this is the last one. I'm not even a mother yet and I don't wanna start failing."

"You're not a failure, you'll be an amazing mum. I bet the baby already loves you" Beca tried to soothe her.

"You think?" Aubrey asked looking at her surprised "You don't think they will find me too annoying or bossy?"

"Well, maybe, I didn't say you were miss perfect. But knowing what could bother them, you can try your best to keep yourself in check" Beca answered "You were a great Bella after all, and if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gotten my head out of my ass in time for us to win the Worlds, so I think you guys will be fine."

"Aww, Becs..." Aubrey half hugged her.

"Get off me weirdo" Beca laughed but let her hug her, and then heard laughs at the kitchen and a few moments later, Jesse and Chloe came in their pajamas and holding mugs and a plate with toasts that they left in the coffee table in front of them "what are you weirdos laughing off?"

"Jesse made a good joke I've already forgotten" Chloe answered smiling and leaned to kiss her on the lips "I think I haven't seen you wake up this early in forever" she added sitting in an armchair and giving her a soft push in the feet with her own before cuddling in the armchair almost like a cat.

"Good morning baby" Jesse had kissed Aubrey and now was covering her belly with kisses "our aca-amazing miracle."

"More than a miracle, a broken condom" Beca corrected and they couldn't avoid some guffaws and loud laughter.

"You really are horrible" Jesse said sitting in the sofa's banister beside Aubrey, smiling warmly at her friend.

"I'm gonna be the best au..." she suddenly shut up looking blankly in front of her, pallid "oh my god" she muttered softly "I'm not anybody's aunt anymore, isn't it?"

"Becs, what are you talking about? Listen, are you less of somebody's daughter when a parent dies? No, because saying that it would be as stupid as saying you came from air, like Kyle XY or something" Jesse said "You will always be somebody's child, or grandchild, or cousin, friend, enemy, aunt, niece, you will always be somebody to someone, it isn't like you are eighty years old and suddenly everything you are is a parent or a grandparent. It just doesn't work like that. You will always be Jack Mitchell's favorite aunty, and someday you'll be an aca-child's godmother and aunty too."

"But Jesse, Jack's dead! How can I be a dead person's anything?"

"You can, and you are, as he is still your nephew" Aubrey said.

"Yeah babe, or are you now an only child all of the sudden?" Chloe asked softly reaching a hand to intertwine her fingers with Beca's.

"Well now that you say so..." Beca shrugged "I guess you're right."

Chloe smiled and leaned to kiss her.

"Then it's clear baby" Aubrey said looking at her belly "you're gonna be such an spoiled little aca-baby."

"You know, maybe we should start thinking of a name, just to avoid the last minute thinking" Chloe suggested.

"Yeah, that way we are here to prevent you guys from naming it something horrendous like _Claire Standish Swanson_ or _John Bender Swanson_." Added Beca.

"I wasn't going to suggest any name from _The Breakfast Club_!" Jesse argued and Aubrey looked at him with a risen eyebrow "Really love. But anyway, it's too soon to start picking names, I'd wait until after three months. I mean, what if something terrible happens? It'll hurt more if it had a name already."

"It something horrible happens to the baby, I think the difference between what it'll hurt and what it'll hurt if it had a name will be quite close to zero" Aubrey said "I actually like the idea of thinking names. Come on, names brainstorm."

"Okay, if it's a girl..." Jesse started "Anna, after Chloe Anna Beale?" he suggested and Chloe smiled.

"Oh, thank you guys, that's so sweet." Chloe said and Aubrey and Beca smiled at her.

"That's going to the list" Aubrey said pulling a notes block and a pen from the shelf under the coffee table, that was full of pens, magazines, old newspapers and papers, and writing it down "I also love Sophie, and it doesn't go bad with Swanson" Jesse nodded and she wrote it under _Anna_.

"Oh, what about Kelley? It has a rebel touch" Beca suggested and Aubrey laughed.

"It doesn't sound that bad actually" she said writing it down "any ideas, Chlo?"

"Uhm... I like Mackenzie" Chloe said looking at the ceiling.

"Mackenzie Swanson" Aubrey nodded and smiled "Okay, now, boy!"

"I'm going with Daniel" Beca said thoughtful.

"Hugo" muttered Aubrey writing down both names.

"Cory" said then Chloe "what about you Jesse?"

"Uh..." Jesse caressed his incipient beard "Michael's cool."

"There we go" Aubrey looked at the list and seemed satisfied "Anna, Sophie, Kelly, Mackenzie, Daniel, Hugo, Cory or Michael Swanson. One of these will be you, sweet-pie" she said stroking her belly.

"Okay, this is creepy, the baby it's like a peanut, it probably doesn't even have ears yet" Beca said faking disgust "Anyway, I've been thinking about something..."

Beca's mother choose that moment to appear and smiled at them.

"I'm gonna go help your father with the orchids, okay guys?" she said and Beca smiled and nodded.

"And..." Aubrey started when the woman left.

"Jesse and you should go back to New York" Beca stated and the pair looked at her surprised "it's just... half my family has been murdered, and you guys were attacked here the other day, and an old classmate threw me against a wall and... things are crazy here. And it's not safe to anyone, even less to a pregnant woman and her child. In fact, all you three should go back to your places, police can protect you and I'll be in LA as soon as this bitch is in jail."

"Beca we are not leaving you" Jesse answered.

"Honey if you think about it maybe she's right, I mean there's a baby on the w..."

"No, Aubrey! If we leave, god knows she'll be more vulnerable! Don't you see it? We aren't safe anywhere, the bitch knows us now, if she went to LA and here, she can easily be in New York before we even buy tickets."

"Jesse's right" said Chloe taking Beca's hand "Together we are stronger than apart. I'm not going to Atlanta to wait until somebody hurts me or you, I need to be here with you and make sure everything's fine! We are stronger here, she's alone, you aren't! Right, right Aubrey?"

Aubrey seemed to be confronting the hardest doubt of her entire existence.

"Yesterday I would have supported you guys one hundred percent and more, but I gotta think in what's best for the baby and honestly, I still need to check if the other day's beating didn't affect it's health, and if it didn't I'm not sure it will stand another one."

"See? Aubrey's being reasonable" said Beca.

"No she isn't" Chloe said "Motherhood it's clouding her judgment, apparently."

"Chloe, don't be unfair!" Aubrey argued "What would you do in my place?"

"Stay?! Aubrey, don't you fucking get it?! You go to NYC, and the bitch will be there dismembering you and the baby as quick as a wink! You saw how good is police keeping the bad guys away from us, only than in NYC, who's gonna protect you besides Jesse?" argued Chloe starting to get angry.

"I do get it Chloe, but you know whose judgment is getting pretty blind? Yours! How the hell do you think she's going to find us in NYC? the city it's crazy big! And there'll be police, even FBI if we ask for it, and we live in one of the most freaking buildings ever built!" Aubrey argued back "I've got a BABY to protect! And the daddy will be there too, and so is my family, and we've got an amazing security system and..."

"And nothing!" Chloe interrupted clearly upset with eyes wet in anger and frustration "Aubrey, I only want the best for you, really, but that bitch? I don't think any security system can keep her out, or do I need to remind you she was at Beca's fucking door?! She was there, and she could easily went in and slid her throat, and so could she do with you in NYC!"

"Yeah, but it's harder than to come here where only a dozen of not-so-great cops and the garden's fence protect us! Would you stop being a damn paranoid?"

"Are you fucking serious, would you leave Beca here to defend herself?" Aubrey looked at Beca stupefied, mouthing unspoken words and with wet eyes. Chloe and her never fought over anything and Aubrey had been left speechless "You are unbelievable Aubrey Posen. I've thought many things of you but I would've never said you were a selfish bitch." Chloe said finally in a dead-serious and cold voice, getting up and going upstairs.

"Chlo..." Aubrey started, but Chloe had already gone. She sniffled pinching the upper part of her nose and sighing. Jesse and Beca looked at each other speechless.

"I'll go talk to her. She crossed the line didn't she?" Beca commented getting up.

"Yeah, you should tell her to bite her tongue wherever she thinks about calling her best friend a selfish bitch for wanting to protect her unborn child" Jesse muttered and Beca threw him an apologetic look before going upstairs "Honey, don't upset yourself, I get what you're trying to do." He said sitting beside her to hug her.

"Then, why do you prefer staying here?"

"Because, baby, Chloe was too rude, but she was right somehow. Listen, if there was a zombie apocalypse and you were in a car with your friends, would you prefer staying with them, see if together you can find a safe place even if that includes being in the road for weeks fighting zombies, or would you prefer staying in a house that seems safe but that if the zombies get there, there'll be nothing to stop them?"

"I guess... I'll want to be with my friends..."

"Of course you would want it, and this is just the same, my love. Your maternal instincts are kicking in and telling you to stay in what seems to be the safer place, but your brain know better and knows than nothing guarantees your safety one hundred percent, not even if you were in France" Jesse said softly "I'll support you in whatever you decide, but I think that it's better for us to stay. Yeah, it's risky, but the dude won't risk coming here again after we almost caught her last time, and here there is police, badass Beca Mitchell, Chloe, who knows _Tae Bo_ , and you and me, and Beca's parents. Here we can be a strong group making this a safe place, and being close in case we're needed, here we can help them with anything, here we can do something. There, we can only wait for news to come."

Aubrey nodded slowly.

"You're right. We should stay. And I should apologize to Chloe, she was just being a protective friend and godmother."

"I know, but let's wait for Beca so she can tell us what they're talking..."

As they talked, this happened upstairs. Beca had gone upstairs and went into her room, where she saw an angry Chloe pacing around and muttering angry things where Beca could only hear some words like _selfish bitch_ or _why is her_ or _stubborn_ , and loosed words, so she sat in the bed and waited patiently for the ginger to stop rambling. Finally, the ginger looked at her.

"Tell me you support me" Chloe said.

"Chlo, love, I love the fact that you confronted your best friend for me, and I appreciate what you were trying to do, but somehow, Aubrey isn't entirely wrong and you aren't entirely right, you know?" Beca said softly, going towards Chloe and stroking her arms lovingly "Listen, you crossed the line speaking to her like you did when all she was trying to do was protect her baby"

"But..." Chloe went to interrupt and Beca silenced her with a look.

"Let me finish. It was terribly wrong of you to talk to her like you did, and I would love for you to apologies. And although I love you, and I think you proved me and Aubrey wrong in some points, I think instead of trying to see who's right, we should maybe just admit that there are different points of view. You are like sisters, and look how angry you are at each other right now just because of that bitch, you can't let that happen, Chlo" she leaned her forehead in the ginger's "This is not about who's right and who's wrong. This is about two different persons, with different lives, priorities and perceptions, who obviously can't be always in agreement with everything, because obviously they see things different. And you can't judge your sister, but understand that you have a different point of view, and respect hers, and support it, even if she's wrong. Like you would if she had a boyfriend you hate, and he cheated on her, you wouldn't go saying _I told you_ because that's not what people who love each other do. They respect themselves, agree to disagree and move on, and hope that the other was right. And if you needed curse words to prove your point... don't you think that maybe your point wasn't so obvious and correct?" Beca said softly.

"Maybe you're right... and maybe you guys are also right and she should go."

"It doesn't matter who's right, what matters is that you allowed your temper to take the best of you towards one of the persons you love the most in the world and that you hurt her without intending to. What matters is that you realized you can't go around trying to make everybody do what you'll do, and that you've learned your lesson. And at the end, what's the only thing you've got clear in your head?"

"That..." Chloe sighed and stopped looking at her feet to look at Beca's dark blue eyes "That I hurt a person I really care about and love, and that that's feels horrible."

"So, why don't we go downstairs so you can apologize?"

Chloe nodded.

"I've got a really wise girlfriend" she said kissing Beca with an small smile.

"And I've got a really sweet one" Beca smiled "wait a second, did you say girlfriend? As officially? No more fooling around?"

Chloe shrugged.

"I was never fooling around with you. I'm in love with you." Beca smiled and they kissed and went downstairs, finding Aubrey cuddled into Jesse's embrace right where they left them "I wanted to apologize to you both, and mostly to you, Aubrey. I don't care who's right, but I hope you are, honestly, and if you feel that New York's safer, then go and trust your instincts, they're probably right anyway, and you're my sister before anything else and... I support you whatever you decide." Aubrey stood up and walked towards Chloe, arms crossed over her chest. "I should have never let my emotions control myself like that and I should have never talked to you in that way or said such terrible things. But I just wanted you to know that I am really sorry, and that you aren't a bitch or selfish, but kind and caring, and that I love you so much and I hate fighting with you." She sniffled feeling her eyes wet and Aubrey smiled a little, her own eyes teary too.

"Yeah... I shouldn't have talked to you like that either. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just new in all this and I don't want to mess up and end up hurting our baby" Beca sat beside Jesse in the couch "I'm just scared, and I'm sorry. I actually was talking with Jesse, and I realized I should stay, like you said, we are stronger together, and I love you too, and I hate fighting too, and I should have never thought of abandoning either of you..." she added looking at Beca too.

"I suggested it Bree" Beca said with a side smile.

"You know Bree? You'll make a great mum. It takes courage to confront your enemies but even more to confront your friends, and I'm glad you did. We're all scared, but we'll get through this together" Chloe said.

"So... friends?" Aubrey asked shyly.

"The best of them. Always and forever" Chloe said smiling, and they hugged tightly. Then, a loud _bang!_ Sounded, and everything went cold.

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 **What do you think happened? Is someone dead? what?! leave a review and I'll have you PM with updates, little clues, and just some small talk for when I'm boored. Also, Chapter 10 will come with review number 30. Stay tuned for more!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, first of all, a big applause to** _ **Holdonandneverletgo**_ **because this sneaky person left the remaining three reviews to be thirty all by itself. At first I thought, this is cheating and I'm gonna wait for two different persons, but then again it left me so astonished and it has never happened to me before so... congratulations!**

 **And now, I have to say that it's been amazing to hear more opinions from names I hadn't seen before, and it's a pleasure to 'meet' these amazing readers, thank you all, and for the next chapter I'm only asking 7 (my lucky number) reviews from five different people.**

 **This chapter is full of revelations and discovers, so I hope you like it. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 10: Bleeding.

"Mom! MOMMA!" Chloe would never forget the heartbreaking scream Beca let out when they ran to the garden and saw Alan knelt beside a bleeding woman, next to a bunch of roses, orchids and jasmines, behind the house in the garden. They were surrounded by a cop that was talking nervously on the phone and another that was trying to help, as another bunch of cops ran to the trees that surrounded the house by the side were the bullet had come from. Jesse tried holding Beca back, for her own security due to the fact that the shooter could perfectly well be waiting for her to come outside to shoot her, but the woman shook and opposed as much resistance as she could and soon she was knelt in her mother's other side while her dad looked at him helpless, with tears in his eyes.

"Becs..." the man started.

"Mommy" Chloe knelt by Beca's side, and Aubrey and Jesse did too. Sarah was awake and trembling, and her belly was covered in dark blood. Beca rose her hands above the blood, trying to figure out what to do and looked at Aubrey questioningly "I... I need to do something" Aubrey nodded.

"Do it. Put pressure in the wound until the ambulance arrives, not too much, just a little bit will be enough."

Beca nodded and, after a glimpse of doubt in her eyes, Chloe saw the same firm determination she had seen in the funeral, and the brunette soaked her hands on her mother's blood and looked at the woman that had brought her to the world right in the eyes, with a tiny smile and tears threatening to come out of her dark blue eyes.

"Just hold on a little bit mom, you're gonna be okay. Besides, dad doesn't send me the best food in the world exactly, right dad?" she managed to joke. Her dad looked proudly at her and nodded with a tiny smile.

"We saw a guy, he ran away, but we can describe it in the office and they can find a match" an officer said breathless to the ones that were with them.

Three quarters of hour later, Aubrey, Jesse, Chloe, Beca and Dr. Mitchell were sitting nervously waiting in some uncomfortable chairs in the middle of an Hospital corridor. Beca still had dry blood covering her hands and wrists, but she refused to go and clean them just in case Sarah's surgery finalized while she was in the bathroom. Then Detective Harmon and her colleague Detective Frost came in and approached them.

"Dr. Mitchell, miss Mitchell, we are so sorry for what happened. We would like to know if any of you could recognize this man" they showed a photo.

"That's Mungus Etton, he's the one that attacked me in the pub the other day" Beca said frowning and looked at the detectives "wait a second, he shot my mother?"

"According to the officers that saw him, yes" detective Harmon nodded "it seems that he ran away, got into a truck, and the officers couldn't follow him in time. But they got the driving license number, and we've found out it's a truck that reported stolen yesterday. We also found out that Etton not only doesn't have a record, but that he died drawn in a river in 2013. He was twenty five at the time and his sister, two years younger, reported that they were fishing when he fell, but his body was never found, so they investigated his sister, but they found anything against her. A few days later she left a suicide note and nobody ever saw her again." The detective told them.

"Now that we know he's alive, the investigation has been reopened and we are also looking for the girl" the other detective said "we'll keep you posted."

"I hope this time you guys do something right and in time" Beca couldn't bite her tongue.

"Miss Mitchell, we understand you're upset but..." detective Frost was interrupted when Beca stood up looking at him with piercing angry eyes.

"Upset?! Upset doesn't begin to cover it!" she shouted at him nailing a bloody finger in his chest "you guys were supposed to protect them! My family shouldn't be dead, my friends and father shouldn't have been attacked, and I shouldn't either, and none of this would be happening if your people could stop being so fucking incompetent!"

"Miss Mitchell, I'm gonna have to ask you to calm down" detective Harmon.

"You calm down!" Beca went now straight to her, by then her father was already trying to hold her back "No dad, let me! If you had done your job right, and gave me one fucking good officer, my mother would be fine!" she took the female detective by her suit's lapels with her hands full of dried blood and pushed her against the wall as her father tried to hold her by the hips. Beca had angry tears running through her cheeks "My friends could be dead because of you, and my parents could be too, and I, hell, maybe my mother's dead now!" she screamed angrily.

"Miss Mitchell!" the other detective pushed her back "Calm down or I'm calling a doctor to sedate you!"

"You fucking son of a...!"

"Beca!" her dad put a hand over her mouth, hugging her from behind "calm down sweetie, this people are trying to do their job and it's not an easy one."

"Come on, Beca, this isn't entirely their fault" Chloe had recover from the initial shock and was gently pulling Beca back. In _entirely_ Chloe made sure to remark the word and shot a piercing glare towards the detectives.

"We are gonna go now. I hope Miss Baker feels better soon" detective Harmon said "and again, we are so sorry things aren't the way we'd like to." Then, both detectives went away. Beca was still shaken up, breathing quickly against her father's hand, trembling in anger, and her eyes watery.

"Relax honey, it'll be okay" Alan said, removing his hand from her mouth and kissing her in the temple.

"You don't know that" Beca said sharply, breathing like a horse that has been running for two hours nonstop and at top velocity.

"Come Beca, we are gonna clean those hands of you okay?" Aubrey said gently, she and Jesse had stood close to them for a while already, and Aubrey intertwined her fingers with Beca's and gently took her through the corridors, knowing that Beca needed to explode but didn't want her girlfriend to see her.

Aubrey took them into a bathroom, that fortunately was empty except for a kid that went out of it right when they went in, and took Beca towards one of the numerous sinks, and put her shaking hands under the water. Her breathing was better, but Aubrey realized she was sniffling while the blood left her hands like if her mother was leaving her too. Aubrey realized this and in the instant the blood was gone, she hugged the brunette tightly. She didn't know when they had become such good friends, but she guessed it could be between the moment the girl helped them win in her senior year, or the time she and Jesse invited her to their first Christmas Party together in New York City, a year after Jesse had gotten there.

"It's okay sweetie, let it go" Aubrey said running comforting fingers around her back as the smaller girl shook in heartbreaking cries. After a while, they sat in the ground, their backs on the wall, just enjoying the feeling of the cold surfaces against them.

"Thank you Aubrey" Beca muttered, eyes closed, her head over the blonde's shoulder, and their hands intertwined Aubrey's lap while she traced small patrons in the back of the brunette's hand.

"You're welcome" Aubrey replied, her cheek supported on the brown head "you're feeling better?" Beca nodded slowly "good." They heard steps but didn't move an inch. Chloe entered the room and smiled looking at them.

"You look drained" Chloe commented softly. And Beca only moved to palm the ground on her other side with her free hand, motioning for the ginger to sit with them, and that's what she did, taking her girlfriend's free hand between her and kissing her temple softly "your father is fine, Jesse is with him. And a doctor came to inform us the surgery still was gonna take an hour more, so the boys went to the cafeteria. But don't worry because your father already did, and the doctor said it was the normal time, and that your mother wasn't as bad as it seemed, only that they wanted to be very delicate to avoid future complications."

"So she's going to be fine?" Beca straightened her head supporting the back of it on the ground and looking at both of her hands, occupied in each of the other girl's hands.

"It seems like it" Chloe answered "your father said we would stay with her here tonight and an officer will take us home after we can see her." She was expecting her girlfriend to argue, but instead, the girl moved to give her a little kiss on the lips.

"Thanks for not coming right away" Beca said and Chloe smiled.

"I would have, but our favorite blondie showed me her best _don't come_ glare" Chloe joked and Aubrey smiled.

"She's one hell of a mommy, uh?" Beca commented smiling.

"Just shut up, girls" Aubrey said smiling "it's still eight months away, and that if everything goes smoothly."

"I bet by June we have a mini Aubrey or a mini Jesse around already" Chloe said winking at her best friend "or if the baby it's as rebel as her favorite DJ Auntie, then May."

"For God sakes, no early labors. I plan on working until my ass can't get out of the couch, and then, I'll work from home."

"You're a workaholic, aren't you?" Beca said looking at her.

"Just like you then."

"Yeah, but my job it's crazy fun" Beca rose her eyebrows smiling with superiority.

"So it's mine! Okay, it has nothing to do with music, but I'm creating amazing retirement places that actually have musical therapy available." Aubrey argued "And now that you mention professional futures, didn't Emily say back in the summer when we went on holiday that you were producing her next single?"

"That's right, I am."

"But you aren't in LA. In your studio."

"Very observant of you Bree" Beca joked "I have it half done. She told me she has written some more songs that she think have potential and she wants me to see them once I'm back to work. Maybe she could get her first album."

"Oh, I'm so damn jealous" Chloe muttered.

"Yeah, the girl has potential. She's still with Ben, right?" Beca asked looking at Aubrey, who knew from Jesse.

"Yeah, you know Ben stayed in Atlanta, he has been producing this spectacles of music and magic for kids and everything, and now they're living together I believe. Ben told Jesse they were thinking about moving to either LA or New York."

Beca nodded and they sat in silence for a while, neither of them feeling like leaving the fresh ground for an uncomfortable chair, until Beca muttered:

"I really feel like my insides are dead, or empty, or something."

"That's entirely normal" Aubrey said.

"I know it is, I'm just worried because... what if I'm still feeling like that in five years? What if I'm never myself, the person I used to be, ever again? What if people end up going away from me because they met me long ago and know I'm like a defective product, like I'm not what they expected?"

"Baby" Chloe moved to kneel between her girlfriend's bended knees and look at her straight in the eyes without letting her hand go "You are never going to be the person you were, and you will no longer be the same person your friends knew. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Look at you, nobody is the same person from one day to another, you have nothing to do with the Beca I first met, or with the one you were fifteen years ago, but it's like... it's like a drawing. First it's a sketch, then you start adding lines, shadows and colors, and it can keep changing forever until the painter gets bored. And that doesn't mean the drawing is worst every time, deep down is still the same, it's just evolving, living its life, completing itself, but deep down is the same thing, only richer" she explained softly, like she was explaining equations to a five year old "Of course some people won't see that, and they'll probably walk away, but the ones that do, aren't worth your company, and never really knew the friend they had, because the ones that really know you, know who you are deep inside, and that's why they'll stay. Don't worry about it, it's their loss."

"And about the emptiness and sadness?" Beca asked in a whisper.

"It will always be there, like losing a grandparent. But with time, you will accept that they are gone forever, and that even if you can never have them back, or hug them, or anything, instead of focusing on what you lost, you will start focusing on what they left in this world, because everybody who comes here, leaves lessons, and messages, and other things. And wherever you miss them, you only need to push yourself to live for them, and use everything they gave you. Loss can only kill you or make you stronger. It's your choice."

Beca nodded, sniffling a little.

"When did you become so wise?"

"At some point a student of mine lost her dad, and I know I'm a music and literature teacher, but we were pretty close thanks to the choir and I thought as a teacher, it was my duty to teach whatever my students needed to know. And I knew she didn't know nothing about losing a father, so I spent a weekend at the library and then I came back ready to be there wherever she needed me" Chloe explained with an small smile.

"Oh god you're so fucking cute" Aubrey said surprised and Chloe smiled widely.

"Yeah, my girlfriend is the most amazing person ever, no offense" Beca smiled through her tears and leaned in to kiss her lovingly in the lips. After a few seconds of making out, Aubrey cleared her throat.

"For my sake, get a room!"

"We did" Chloe said with a smirk leaning back and looking at the blonde "but then you choose to freak your boyfriend out."

At first Aubrey looked confused but gradually her eyes showed more and more surprise, and her mouth started opening in horror, opening and closing in silence.

"Don't... Jesse didn't... you were..."

"Best orgasm of my entire life" Chloe said proudly, and Beca let go a guffaw.

"Jesse caught you fucking each other?!" Aubrey finally said in high pitched voice.

"Almost, he was kind enough not to fully open the door and I covered my naked and sexy ginger with my own body. And thank god the lights were off, because my mouth was covered in c..."

"Gross!" Aubrey looked about to vomit and Chloe laughed.

"That reminds me, I owe you an orgasm" Chloe said looking at her girlfriend with a smirk.

"You can relieve my tension tonight if everything goes good with my mother" Beca said, mostly to bother Aubrey.

"Stop it girls, it's not funny!"

"Not for you, we are laughing our asses of!" Chloe said between laughs and calmed down "besides, didn't you tell me everything about the first time Jesse and you..."

"Fuck, that's gross" Beca said.

"But that's different!"

"How so?" Beca asked looking at Aubrey "I know gay sex always seems dirtier, but it isn't actually. For us is almost like if Jesse ate you out for hours. And please, that one is my second brother and..."

"And you so fucked him!" Aubrey laughed and Beca blushed.

"I did, but that was when he only was my sexy boyfriend and lover, not my bro" Beca winked "unless you wanna now how we did it so you can try and beat me..."

Before Aubrey could argue, they heard a knock in the door and Jesse's head peeked in.

"Your mother just got out of surgery! Quick, your dad send me to get you"

Beca wasted no time and followed him with the girls, walking as fast as they could without running -everybody knows that the only people allowed to walk fast in a hospital are the doctors- until they reached a big room with many beds.

"Only two visitors by patient allowed" Jesse said "there they are, go and we'll wait over here. We can see her once she has her own room."

Beca nodded and, cautiously, walked between some beds and doctors, smelling the smell of disinfectant, chemicals and clean sheets, that she hated from hospitals and making sure of not looking towards the other patients. Her dad smiled at her once he heard her and motioned towards them. Beca sat in one chair in front of her father, in the other side of her mother's bed. There was the classical screen showing the heartbeats and other colorful lines that Beca didn't understand, and her mother was tightly wrapped in her covers, so Beca couldn't hold her hand like she wanted, because she didn't know where to find it. Her mother had some tubes here and there and was asleep, breathing slowly, and Beca bit her lip trying to hold back the tears that wanted to come out. She hated seeing that woman like that, and even she knew it wasn't her fault, she still felt a bit responsible.

"You can't stay long, they consider two visitors as _many_ and get really rude, and I'm staying here for the night" her father warned her "doctor Murphy said the bullet broke a couple ribs and got into her left lung, but that they pullet it out, fixed the lung, and positioned the ribs good and they'll heal on their own" he informed her, and Beca nodded "she'll have to stay here the first forty eight hours, sedated, and then if she's still holding up as good as now, they'll take her into a room. Doctor Murphy said that if by then she hasn't had complications, things should go smoothly from then on."

"So are you gonna stay here all night, sitting in that uncomfortable chair?" Beca asked a little bit surprised.

"I will" her father nodded and smiled a bit "but you'll need to come first thing in the morning, they start letting visitors in at nine. I'll need to go home and have a proper nap for a little bit, and then I'll be right back."

"Dad, I gotta say... you're being great. You've been helping mum so much, and comforting her so I could deal with myself, and helping in the kitchen, cleaning, the garden, sleeping on the sofa's bed... you've been amazing, despite the fact that you're also hurt. I... thank you, dad, really." Beca said surprised of her dad's behavior.

"Becs, honey, I don't hate your mother, I care deeply about her and when we divorced, I was still in love with her somehow. We are going through a lot, and I just want you to know that as I'm here for her, I'm here for you too."

"Thank you dad. I'm here for you too if you need a shoulder to cry on or something. I'm doing better."

"Thank you. Yeah, I'm happy that your friends came all the way to be here with you. We'll have to thank them somehow, maybe pay them a great trip somewhere next holidays" her dad smiled and Beca nodded, smiling a bit "so... what's going on with Chloe? I've seen how you look at her, and your mother has seen it too." Beca blushed.

"Well... I know that it may be hard to accept but... we kissed. We are in love, actually, and I guess we are kind of... dating, maybe? I still have a lot to figure out with her, but I'm sure I'm in love with her, dad. It happened the other day in the falls... and... we just thought that maybe we should wait until things were happier to say anything."

"Beca, it doesn't matter if you love her or a boy. Love is love, and it's blind" her father said "so your mother and I support you. It's like having a baby, you don't know if it will turn out a murderer, or a pacifist, good or bad, boy or girl, sick for life or healthy, but you still have to love it no matter what because it's your baby and trusts you to take the best care of it. Love works the same, you never know what's bringing, but you gotta open your arms to whatever it brings because... well, love is the strongest and most beautiful thing there is" he continued slowly "and actually, I think it comes just in time. Your brother would love it, and they all would love Chloe just as your mom and I do. She's good for you, I've always seen it, so it's okay. As long as you are happy."

Beca nodded thankfully and after a few minutes of silence, she said;

"Dad... you never told us why did mom and you really stop working. Why the divorce, why would you divorce someone you were still in love with?"

"I made many mistakes, Beca. I started taking a job in Barden around the time you were seven or so, because they offered me an amazing job better paid than any other I've been offered, which weren't many, and in that moment, we needed the money. Your mother wanted to be an artist, it was her dream and instead she was a secretary because it paid better, and I wanted her to be whatever she wanted, she deserves better. So I took the job. I went to Barden three times a week, very early in the morning, and came home very late, and at some point, your mother and I decided I should buy a place there and I could come home the days I wasn't working, because we were spending too much money on flights. And because of that, I ended up coming home one time a week for three days each time." He explained slowly "You and your brother were growing up, and your mom eventually wanted me to come back, but then I couldn't find a good job in Maine's Universities, either they were really bad paid, or they already had teachers for the things I could teach. Eventually your grandparents, who were still alive, came to Portland, help in home. I made an agreement in Barden so I only had to work three days a week, but had to work my butt off a lot in those days, give all my classes right there, and then I was in home for four days straight, which was amazing, and we could provide a great family vacation. But I distanced from all of you, I guess, started understanding your mom less, arguing, she even though I was cheating on her... well, things weren't getting as nice as it should have been. And I met Sheila, and she made me company in Atlanta, and I started having feelings for her, which was wrong, so I had to told your mother, and of course, she freaked out. She kicked me out, and I spent months trying to get her back until I realized she was better off without me. She deserved better, and someone who stayed there so I left. And gradually, got closer to Sheila. Your mother and I divorced, and some months later, Sheila and I were dating." He explained, and Beca looked at her sadly "I guess your mother really thought I was cheating on her, but I never did. Anyway, she understood otherwise, and so did Joseph and you. I got Joseph back really soon because by then he was in about his third year in Barden University, and he knew things, but you took me more, of course."

"I'm sorry I took so long... but I'm your daughter. I'm here for anything, you know, right?" Beca made sure to make he understand, and he nodded.

"Miss Mitchell, you should go now" a nurse came to say and Beca nodded getting up.

"Why don't you take everybody for lunch somewhere?" her father suggested while she got up "compensate them somehow for everything. And be careful, have a cop come with you."

Beca nodded in tired understanding.

"I'll be back in the afternoon for a while to free you, and then you're on your own until tomorrow!" Beca reminded him and went out to the corridor, where Chloe, Aubrey and Jesse were sitting on some chairs and got up as soon as they saw them.

"How did it go?" Jesse asked anxiously.

"She'll be fine, hopefully. It's a little painful to see her now, but my father said hopefully she'll be better, awake and in her own room in a couple days. Now, it's past lunchtime, so I'm gonna try get us into someplace I know to eat" she answered, and leaned to give Chloe a quick peck on the lips and hold her hand.

They went out to the cold Portland and walked around the city for a while. Beca didn't call a officer then because they were in the middle of the city, and she'll just ask one to pick them up later. Not too long had passed when they got into a fancy restaurant.

"Sorry, lunchtime is over" a waiter told them right when they got in.

"Yeah, right? Listen to me... Kevin" Beca leaned to read his name on his suit "I'm Beca Mitchell. The Beca Mitchell, DJ, music producer, if you kissed my ass, you're lips would turn into gold... does it rings any bells?" the man stared at her, thoughtful "and that guy over there is my best friend, Jesse Swanson, who happens to be an amazing movie scorer. So let me put it like this. This is my hometown, my mother as just been shot, and I'm tired as fuck, and not in my best mood, so unless you want us to put your ass in the street, you are gonna talk with your boss and get us the best table free there is, and a good lunch, understood?"

Usually, Beca hated being recognized, hated asking favors, hated using her name to get preferences, hated not passing as a normal person, and hated to seem and stupid snob with a head in her ass, but today she didn't feel like being nice at all, and in her opinion, she had already been too nice. The waiter's boss came not long after, apologized, and ordered a menu for them, and Beca paid everything before starting to eat and even gave them a generous tip to try and seem nicer.

"I'm sorry you had to see my jerk side" Beca said while they sat in a table for four, getting herself beside Chloe and in front of Jesse.

"What are you talking about? That's the Beca I fell in love with a few years ago" Jesse joked playfully and Beca kicked his feet under the table softly "hey!"

"Who's tasting the wine?" a waitress asked coming with a bottle of wine. Beca winced having forgot that they did those snob things in restaurants.

"Jess?" Beca asked, and Jesse nodded. They contained their laughs as Jesse acted playfully like a snob wine expert, removing the wine in the cup and doing many gestures that were an absolute joke and totally unnecessary. The boy didn't even know much about wine.

"It's good" Jesse said with his best fake rich jackass accent after what seemed like a long time "but for the lovely lady by my side, instead of this you'll bring the best water you have, right? We're expecting" he said winking at the waitress, and in the second she disappeared, the four of them burst into an hysterical laugh.

"I was so not expecting that!" Chloe said between laughs.

"That's what you guys do whenever you go to LA to visit her?" Aubrey asked Jesse wiping tears of laughter.

"And whenever she came to NY and you weren't around" Jesse admitted and Chloe and Aubrey laughed.

"What am I seeing... isn't that the beautiful Rebeca Mitchell home again?" a high pitched voice sounded behind Beca and when they looked, they saw a tall woman, looking very snob, with high heels, and clothes that screamed four numbers each "Tom, come here honey, look what I've found!" a handsome man that looked equally millionaire stopped in his tracks and turned around, smiling when he saw Beca, who was standing up in that moment.

* * *

 **Wew, what's that? Hahahah I actually finalized this chapter here because if not it was going to be really long so... a bit of a cliffhanger, maybe? I'm gonna have to do those more. Remember, for next chapter you need seven different readers to review this chapter. Thank you all for, literally, everything.**

 **Now I want to ANSWER THE GUEST REVIEWERS:**

 **Guest chapter 8 Aug 31**

" **Wow. Just wow. I started to read your fic two days ago and it is already one of my favorites ever. Chapter 6 made me cry so much. Update soon." - Well thank you so, so much, I hope you keep enjoying it and that soon you can cry of happiness and laughter.**

 **Megan chapter 8 Aug 29**

" **I'm loving this story! I was worried it would be too much of a downer at first but I actually kind of love all the drama and happen is mixed in. Stoked to see where the story goes! :)" - Thank you Megan, I'll do my best not to disappoint you :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm going to post this anyway because I don't want to make the good readers and reviewers wait so long and I'm starting college soon too. Also, this chap has smutty, and from this on, things are gonna get pretty... shaken up.**

Chapter 11: Conquering.

"Nancy, hey, you've changed a lot!" Beca said a little bit uncomfortable not knowing what to do as the woman kissed her cheeks effusively "Tom, how are you man?" she shook his hand with a polite smile that seemed kind of forced, as her friends looked amused at them.

"Very well, how about you, came for the cold?" Tom said with a huge smile.

"I missed Portland, what can I say" Beca lied knowing that police was having already a hard enough time trying journalist to know nothing.

"She looks as hot as always, right darling?" Nancy said.

"Yeah, and more adult".

"Darling uh?" Beca asked curiously and Nancy showed her an enormous stone in her finger with a huge smile.

"We got married last year! Isn't it pretty?" the woman said excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Well, aren't you going to present us...?" Nancy looked at the table and Beca did too, clearing her throat. Her friends stood up.

"Yeah, eh, they are some of my best friends from college, uh, this is Aubrey Posen, my best girl friend, she's, uhm..."

"I own a huge company in New York" the expert on polite smiles and faked kindness answered, shaking Tom's hand and letting Nancy kiss her just like Beca, and like the others had to to at their time.

"Yeah, and he's Jesse Swanson, my best friend, her boyfriend and my ex, I guess... he's a music scorer, you probably heard about him..."

"Oh yeah, I saw a movie the other day and the soundtrack was yours now that I remember" Nancy admitted excitedly.

"Wow, two sexy women one after the other, good job man" Tom said and Jesse nodded awkwardly.

"Good for me" Jesse muttered.

"And the lady here is Chloe Beale, she's my... well, my girlfriend. She's the best teacher ever, has a choir and everything" Beca said proudly "Guys, this is Nancy O'Donnell and this is her apparently husband, Thomas Stevens. She was the girl I first slept with, she's now a... lawyer, I believe?" Nancy nodded smiling widely "and he was the captain of our high school rugby team. Another lawyer, right?" He nodded too.

"Yeah, things have changed a lot since high school. We had quite amazing sex, I gotta say. She know how to use her tongue, you know what I mean" Nancy added winking at Chloe, who blushed, and so did Beca "so I see both of us have gone for a penis at least once on our lives right? Talking about that, how's Joseph? You Mitchells, I would've loved to taste his bed too..."

Beca went rigid and Chloe hurried to take one of her hands between her own.

"Married" Beca asked "now, if you'll excuse us, we're hungry and in a hurry."

"Oh, it's a shame... hey, what if we make you guys company?"

"No" Beca answered "we are gonna spend the whole lunch talking about what they thing of ass fucking" Beca said dead serious and her friends had to bite their tongues to avoid laughing "we'd love to be alone. It was nice seeing you guys. Bye."

After looking weirdly at her, the couple left and they sat again, starting to eat.

"So, did you really had your first lesbian time with a total jerk?" Aubrey asked after a while.

"She wasn't that. She was a lot like me, actually, but somehow she changed. And I'm pretty sure she has never been into dicks, but she wasn't very brilliant ever and he was rich from the crib." Beca answered "Now, they are total bullshit but together."

"How lovely" Jesse commented.

They made small talk for a while and Aubrey told them she and Jesse had been thinking about taking an appointment with a gynecologist once they were back at the hospital.

"It's a good idea" Chloe said.

"Yeah... now that I think about it, you blushed with that hag's comment about Beca's tongue, so... I hope you didn't have sex in the kitchen table" Jesse joked with a smirk.

"Jess honey, you almost interrupted her first orgasm with me the other day and totally deprived me of sexual liberation" Beca said finally and they laughed at Jesse's face.

"Babe, they did the same to me when they told me earlier in the bathroom" Aubrey said kissing him.

Soon, they were back in the hospital, and as soon as Doctor Mitchell ate in a coffee what they brought him while Chloe accompanied him, Jesse and Aubrey got an ultrasound, and Beca visited her mother, they were on a police car going back home.

"How was the ultrasound?" Chloe asked to the future parents, who smiled widely.

"Great" Jesse answered "we've got a picture and everything."

"Yeah?" Beca smiled.

"We'll show you in home" Aubrey added.

So, when they were home, Jesse and Chloe went to cook, because if Aubrey and Beca weren't bad chefs, they were better, and Aubrey got a black and white picture out of her purse.

"This is it" Aubrey said showing the picture to them.

"Where exactly?" Beca asked.

"The black thingy" Jesse answered.

"But Jesse, there are two black th..." Chloe looked at Aubrey, who smiled widely, and opened her mouth covering it with her hands.

"What?" Beca looked at Chloe "What black thing it is? What?!"

"Aubrey is pregnant with fraternal twins" Jesse said proudly "my guys are champions."

"We are totally terrified, but it'll be fine" Aubrey said, and Chloe let go an excited scream and hugged her tight.

"Congrats, man!" Beca hugged Jesse, and then Aubrey, when Chloe went to hug Jesse "we'll help you guys out, don't worry. That's what godmothers are for."

They spent a quiet dinner, and when they were cleaning the dishes, Beca's phone sounded. It was detective Harmon. Beca got up the table and pick the phone.

"Goodnight detective, hey, I'm sorry for my behavior before..."

"We've got a name. You need to come."

"I'm on my way" Beca said quickly and hung up "guys! They need me at the precinct, I gotta go" she kissed Chloe quickly and went to get an officer take her there.

Half an hour later, she was sitting beside detective Harmon holding two pictures between her hands. One was Mungus Etton, and the other...

"Cressida Etton" the detective told her "his sister. We lost track of Mungus, but we wanted you to try recognize this woman, shamefully the last picture we have of her is this one, a few weeks before his brother's faked death. Not long later she faked her own, so... she's twenty three years old there, but now she would be twenty eight. And her medical history shows that she had both Obsessive-Compulsive and Bipolar Disorders."

"But I know her" Beca said "she... she's her! She's the woman I had sex with, she's the one who wrote that letter!" she smiled in triumph "congrats detective, you did it!"

"We did it" the woman said proudly "now we can tie tail ends. Mungus had a mental disability, so we suspect Cressida made him fake his death, the reason? No idea yet, we don't know why she faked it either, but they were the only heirs to the Etton's fortune, they were a very important family and after the supposed death of the heirs the money mysteriously disappeared. We think they took it and moved somewhere, and we think Cressida's been using her brother as help, manipulating him taking advantage of his disability."

"Wait a second" Beca said suddenly "I just remembered... she told me her name was Cressida Whales, so I'm thinking, she went to this party, she was well-known in LA, she had a job, she had to give credentials, even fake ones. Maybe you can find her through that?"

The detective nodded writing it on a paper.

"Good idea. Now maybe you should go home. We'll find her soon enough, hopefully."

"Yeah, I'm tired..."

"And Beca... how's your mother?"

"She's been better, but doctors said after the first forty eight hours she's probably hundred percent out of danger. And it's been..." she looked at her watch "around ten already, so... let's hope for the best."

When she got home, she found out they had started a fire in the fireplace and her three friends were sitting in front of it. The truth was, it was cold outside. They were already in their pajamas, so she told them everything, went to change, and then came to join them.

"So, everything went fine while I was out?" Beca asked sitting behind Chloe with each leg at each side of her, hugging her and kissing her temple as Chloe leaned back.

"Yeah, although Aubrey got sick a bit, but she's better now" Jesse said smiling a bit to her girlfriend, who was sitting between him and Chloe, leaning completely in Jesse's side, who had a arm around her arms as she supported her head on his shoulder.

They started talking calmly in soft tones and low voices.

"So, earlier I was making your father company while he ate his lunch, and he told me you had told him we were dating" Chloe commented, eyes closed, head leaned back over her girlfriend's collar bone, and her nose next to Beca's neck, enjoying her sweet smell.

"Yeah, he kind of figured it out on his own, so did my mother apparently. It seems true that proverb about parents knowing their kids better than they think" Beca replied "They're okay with it, by the way. Totally happy for us."

"Great" Chloe smiled "you smell sweet..."

"Well that's weird, I need a shower actually. By the way, I was thinking about going to the cemetery tomorrow morning when we get back from the hospital, and wondered if you'd maybe want to come too."

"Yeah, sure" Chloe answered kissing her neck.

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I was wondering what are you guys going to do when this is all over. After what the detective said, maybe we only have a couple weeks more here or so, and then what? Back to LA?" Aubrey wondered.

"I don't really know" Beca answered "I think I could use a break from LA and come back to Atlanta with you Chlo" she said stroking her arm with a finger, and the ginger opened her eyes.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've got money, I can work on my mixes from Atlanta, maybe I could stay there for a while. Plus, I'm a little sick of LA, I could just assist to the company's meetings via skype, and go there maybe once a week for the most important things, work from Atlanta and send the works done by email. That way, we could spend some more time together before we decide our next step."

"It's sounds nice" Chloe smiled straightening up just enough to kiss her on the lips "Plus, I've been thinking too... and even if I love teaching, and for me it would be heartbreaking to leave my students behind... I don't think I could do that for the rest of my life. I'm thinking of maybe taking a new career path."

"Really? Where?" Jesse asked intrigued.

"I'm not sure, but whatever I decide, you guys will be the first ones to know. Maybe I'll just take an small break from teaching to do other exciting staff, who knows. But Becs" she said and leaned back again, putting a hand over her girl's cheek to motion for her to look at her "whatever I do, I want to be with you, okay? Like, seriously, without fooling around. I wanna wake up next to you as often as possible, and live with you, and everything. And if I need to move to Los Angeles for you... then I will."

Beca smiled speechless and gave her nose a quick peck.

"As sweet as that sounds, I'd hate myself for making you do something that you'd only do because of me, so what do you think if whenever we're done here, we just take an small trip, refresh our minds, and when we are back we just take the map and start writing down cities we love and we'd like to live in. Then, we cross the ones only one of us likes, and between the rest, we see how we can live our dreams without harming the other one's dreams, until we find the right place for us to grow roots, okay?"

"Yeah, I'd love that" Chloe smiled closing her eyes again and nuzzling into Beca's neck.

"Guys, I'm gonna go to bed. I don't know if it's the babies, or the excitement we've had today, or whatever, but I'm wasted" Aubrey announced getting up.

"I'm going with you" Jesse added getting up with Aubrey's hand's help "Goodnight kiddos, sleep tight."

"Have a good night" Beca waved as she saw them go upstairs, and Chloe snuggled more comfortably into her embrace "you look like a kitty in a clothes' basket" she commented smiling and hugging her more tightly. Chloe smiled.

"I just love cuddling" Chloe said and suddenly, she knelt between the brunette's legs, caressing her cheeks between her hands and smiling widely "you are just so beautiful. Have you seen those eyes? And that nose... and god, those lips" she commented leaning in to kiss her in the lips, and they started making out heavily, until Chloe pushed Beca so the brunette was laying in the carpet and she sat on her hips, supporting in her kneels to avoid hurting her.

Beca smiled widely as Chloe grinned, the fire behind her giving her hair a whole new fierce. The ginger intertwined both their hands over Beca's head, flipped her hair sexily to a side and leaned in to keep making out with the brunette, proceeding to kiss and bite her neck softly.

"Chlo..." Beca moaned in a barely audible whisper "you had this planned all along, didn't you honey?"

"Actually I didn't but you look so hot, and this room is so warm, and thinking about how I left you aching for me..."

Beca moaned when Chloe straightened up to remove her pajama t-shirt, her breasts bouncing freely.

"They will catch us" Beca whispered.

"They are super tired, plus, all doors and windows have been properly closed and secured, and the blinds are down too. Pretend that you don't want it." Beca grinned and amassed her breasts with each hand as Chloe leaned again to make out with her "damn pajamas..." Chloe muttered when the clothes kept her from kiss her breasts, moaning as Beca played with her nipples. Beca straightener up just enough for Chloe to remove her t-shirts and then the ginger pulled her down again, dominant, making Beca moan hoarsely with desire as she pulled one of her breasts into her mouth "tonight is about you babe..."

"Don't stop, please, I'm begging you" Beca said tangling her fingers in the red locks pressing her towards her breast, arching her back and letting a soft moan as Chloe giggled against her nipple, attending the other with one hand as her free hand started wandering into her pants.

"Oh god you're totally soaked, is this for me?"

"Yeah, you did it, don't act so surprised" Chloe smiled at her blushing, straightening up and pulling two fingers inside her suddenly, making Beca arch her back again and moan "kiss me, please, kiss me" Chloe leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss where they tongues danced, leaving Beca eyes closed and breathless as she kept a kiss path from her lips to her neck, breasts, belly button, and finally moved to remove her pants and pulled three fingers in together with her mouth until Beca came so hard she felt like passing out, and Chloe laughed seeing her laying there motionless.

"You are the most beautiful, sexy, hot, wonderful person I've ever seen" Chloe whispered in her ear "And I'm absolutely and inevitably in love with you to the bones."

Soon enough, they kept having fun for awhile, until they were exhausted, and then Chloe made an effort to go upstairs willingly, take a sheet from their bed, and back down, she cuddled against Beca's nude body, pulled the sheet covering them, nuzzled into her girlfriend's neck crook, left her hug her tight, and fell asleep.

In the morning, Jesse and Aubrey found them more or less like the same, snuggled together under the sheet, fire now extinct, they hugged lovingly and tight like otters or chicks in the nest, their hairs totally messy and all over each other.

"Oh, look at them" Jesse said taking a picture with his cellphone "so cute..."

"I can't believe they had sex on the carpet, in the living!" Aubrey sighed frustrated.

"It's the all-about-sex stage, they'll pass through it, like we did, and start thinking about doing everything together, not only sex" Jesse smiled and pulled Aubrey in for a hug and a kiss.

"Ugh, remind me why I love you" Aubrey muttered and Jesse smiled and kissed her again, making out with her for a while before they went to make breakfast. While they were on the kitchen, they heard soft cries and went back to find Beca crying softly into Chloe's embrace, hugging each other tightly sitting in front of the fireplace and covered in the sheet.

"Sh... it's over, you're with me now" Chloe was saying in a low, sweet voice and when she heard steps, she turned seeing Jesse and Aubrey, who both had worried looks "it's okay, she had a nightmare."

"You... you were... you..." Beca mumbled between cries, hiccuping a little "and, and, all the blood... and... you... you were-"

"I am fine" Chloe assured Beca "it was just your imagination playing tricks on you honey." Chloe smiled sweetly at Beca, taking her gently by her cheeks and giving her a slow, little kiss on the lips "I'm okay, and we are all going to be okay soon, I promise."

"Don't ever leave me" Beca said with an hoarse voice from all the crying, staring at her attentively.

"I won't. I will never leave you."

"Promise?"

"I swear. But don't you leave me either, I'd be so lonely..."

"I won't. I love you" Beca hugged her breathing deeply in relief.

"Me too..."

"Poor girl" Aubrey commented as she and Jesse went back to the kitchen, getting coffee finished for all of them and some pancakes.

"Yeah, but lucky for her, she has Chloe. And Aubrey..." he hugged her from behind "You know I will always be here if you need me, right?"

"I know, I'll be here too" Aubrey smiled turning her face to the side to look at him.

"I mean... we have been dating for almost nineteen months now, and now we are expecting twins, and... I want to be there, I want to be their father, and help you out... and I want to be with you forever, but if we end up breaking up or something, I just want you to know that I'm still going to be there for anything you need and for the kids."

Aubrey had tears in her eyes and kissed him softly, nodding.

"I think just the same. I love you." They hugged each other for a while and then sat and started eating. After a while, Beca and Chloe joined them fully dressed, Beca already stressing herself looking at the watch in her wrist every ten seconds.

"We cleaned everything, including the carpet, by the way" Chloe commented while she spread chocolate all over her pancake "and thanks for not waking us up."

"No problem" Jesse smiled "so despite that nightmare, good night?"

"Yeah, you?" Beca answered.

"Smoothly" Aubrey answered.

"Nice" Beca replied taking a long sip for her coffee while looking at her watch again.

"We have time right?" Chloe asked stroking her hand over the table, and Beca nodded.

"Yeah, we're fine."

"So, what's the plan today?" Jesse asked.

"You guys are free today. Chloe and I are going to the hospital for a couple hours or so, that way my father can come, eat properly and get some good sleep, and then he'll go back so Chloe and I can go visit the cemetery."

"We can substitute you guys at the hospital an hour earlier if you want" Aubrey offered looking at Beca's watch by her side "that way you guys will be back home for lunch not too long past noon."

"You'll do that? It's not your mother, you aren't obligated or anything..."

"Of course we'll do that!" Aubrey smiled "she has acted like a mother lately, and even if we had just met her, she's your mother and that's enough for us to care."

"Thank you guys" Chloe smiled.

"No problem, you just text us whenever you want to be replaced" Jesse said and looked at Aubrey "we could use the time to get to know the city better right?" Aubrey nodded with a small smile.

"Yeah, but whatever you do, be extremely careful and have my number on speed dial in case you get lost or something happens or whatever" Beca said as her phone sounded "Beca Mitchell. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, no, Angie, just tell them to shut the fuck up, I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? No, not this week, but soon. I don't now, Angie, really, and no, I haven't had time to work on that, in fact I think I left my equipment in LA. Nah... look, just tell them I have a family emergency, and that I'll be back in a month or so, and then I'll work in everything real quick, and if they don't want, tell them to find another person, I'm not interested in jerks. Okay, love you too... Jerks" she said hanging up "can you believe it? I go for a few weeks, and I already have furious clients asking whether I can DJ for their girl's fifteen birthday party, or for a wedding, or when is who-knows-what-song I'm supposedly producing going to be done... they could go fuck thems..."

"Beca!" Chloe scolded her smiling "I usually don't love when you curse so much, but right now I'm eating and is even less appropriated, but fun either way."

"You said you loved EVERYTHING about me!" Beca argued smiling.

"That doesn't mean I'd love if you could just poop in my face, or you cursing all the time. Although, I don't mind if you curse sometimes" Chloe smiled warmly "I'm sorry, it's just, sounds bad."

"Don't worry, you're right" Beca kissed her over the table.

"So you didn't leave everything in order and under control in LA?" Jesse asked.

"I... I didn't have time, and honestly I was too shaken up to care or think about it or make the right decisions... but Angela will take care, she's the best in her field." Beca said and stood up winking at Chloe "Shall we, love?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Time for all the excitement to really begin! Here you have it people ;)**

* * *

Chapter 12: In which things get crazy.

Beca loved how October fitted Portland. The whole city turned brownish, pink, green, orange, blue... and it was so beautiful to see. Even when you were knelt in front of a grave in the cemetery, leaving some flowers you knew were going to die soon.

They had just arrived from the hospital, and Chloe was sitting beside her, hugging her knees and looking solemnly at the names engraved in the stone. Beca let a deep breath out, cleaning one of her eyes with a finger trying not to destroy her make up, having refused long ago to keep seeing herself tired and half dead every time she looked at herself in the mirror.

"You know? It's funny, because if I had told Josh that this was going to happen, he would have laughed. Hell, I would have laughed, it's nuts!" Beca commented with a half smile that contrasted with the defeated aspect she was giving sitting on her ankles "This things only happen in movies, or in bad police dramas, not in real life. Well, at least, not to people like us..."

"You're right" Chloe nodded slowly "it's nuts, and none of you did nothing to deserve this. But maybe the universe had to throw this crap to someone and realized you were the strongest family to go through that. Like when you're playing UNO with your friends and a good hand for you means screwing your buddies." Chloe reflected talking slowly, and Beca nodded.

"Maybe..."

They sat in silence for awhile, while Beca freed her contained tears silently, immersed in her own thoughts, and Chloe traced patrons in her back with a finger.

"Do you think they know how sorry I am?" Beca asked with a broken voice after awhile, still looking at the grave "And how much I will always love them?"

"Yeah" Chloe nodded "one always knows, even when everybody thinks they don't."

"You knew that I loved you?" Beca asked and Chloe nodded.

"I was suspicious, even if not sure. I guess I was too afraid of losing you if I tried to get more than what I had."

Beca nodded and reached a hand to stroke one of hers.

"The same happened to me" Beca admitted and sighed "I wish I could've come here with you for Christmas or something, and go to my whole healthy family, that would've be happily eating dinner at my mother's, and just say _family, this is Chloe and I'm absolutely in love with her_." Chloe smiled tearfully looking at their intertwined hands and squeezed her hand.

"They knew, I'm sure. And I'm sure they somehow can hear us and they know and they're happy for us."

"How can you?" Beca asked drying her cheek with her jacket's sleeve.

"Love is louder and stronger than anything else in the universe, Beca" they stared at each other "it's sounds very cheesy, but it's true. You feel love, and it can drive you completely crazy, it can make you happier than anything else, or sadder, the love for them is what is killing you nowadays, it can kill from our insides or make us reborn, and you'll never know where love is in your organism, where did it come from, or how, just that it has found you, and it's there, in everything, in the air we breath, in our heartbeats... it connects us in ways we can't describe, and I'm sure for your family it was just obvious, they knew you, and they felt it, mine did too" Chloe smiled squeezing her hand tightly again "You barely slept the night they died, because somehow, the connection you had told you they were suffering, because you loved each other and could tell. The same way, we called each other on bad days without knowing the other had a bad day, or knew when something was going on despite the lies, the same way I'm staying here, because I love you so much I could probably feel your pain from Atlanta."

Beca giggled leaning in to support her forehead in Chloe's.

"It's true our love is crazy" Beca said "like... like when I can't sleep and you wake up no matter how tired you are. Or like when I make you coffee knowing you haven't had yours even if you hadn't say a thing."

"Yeah" Chloe smiled "I'm super cheesy and love colors and sun..."

"...and I'm dark, and love dark colors, and the moon... we could say you're the sun to my moon actually" Chloe winced "too cheesy for me, right?" Chloe giggled nodding and Beca smiled.

"But we're also quite similar though. We both love staying in bed, and coffee, pancakes..."

"...sex" Chloe giggled "and music, mixes, dancing, singing, good theater plays or musicals..."

"Cuddling, but in your case only with me, showering, rapping..." Chloe smiled "we could keep going all day, but we gotta keep going. Poor Jesse, has been cooking all day, he texted saying Aubrey had spent twenty minutes running back and forth of the bathroom."

Beca laughed and they stood up.

"Wait a second" Beca said suddenly right when they had turned to go, and knelt in front of the grave again "Joseph, Kendra, Jackie... I just wanted to say... I... we'll miss you. Forever. And we will always love you, and I'll take care of mum, dad and myself, and I'll let people take care of me. You just... rest. Rest and take care of each other, and be in peace... and I'll swear I'll kill the bastards who did this to us before they can run away again. Jackie... I'm so, so sorry I wasn't there to save you, or to show you you were never alone, but that bitch won't go peacefully, I promise. She'll pay. She'll pay..." she nodded for herself "I love you."

Alan Mitchell arrived the home right when they were in the middle of the lunch, or some of them where, because Beca was just playing with the peas in her plate. He told them they had decided to get Sarah to her own room, because she was improving so fast, but that she still had to be in an induced coma to make sure she recovered completely. A nurse had promised to be there with her so he could go home, have lunch with his family, have a decent shower, and rest comfortably.

"So, what's going on with those peas?" he asked sitting beside Beca, who had Jesse in one side and Chloe in front of her. She at first didn't acknowledge him, so he gave her a soft elbow "honey? Everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah dad... I'm just tired and thoughtful" she explained finally pinching pea with her fork and pulling it onto her mouth.

"And can we know what has you so thoughtful?" her father asked.

"It's n... well, everything really. I've got a job a bunch of angry clients waiting for me in Los Angeles, I really don't like how many people Los Angeles has, my mother has been shot by a lunatic, the lunatic happens to be the mentally disabled older brother of Cressida Etton, who by the way faked to be Whales, and I swallowed it, and she ended up sleeping with me more than once and I was so drunk I didn't even stopped to consider that maybe her way of looking was too crazy to get any closer to her in the first time. I don't know that, I'm a twenty four year old woman with a fully complicated life, and my period isn't even here yet." Beca rambled tiredly and using a bit of irony.

"So I'm taking we are gonna have a long nap after lunch?" Chloe inquired and Beca smiled at her.

"I'd love to" but then her phone sounded and after sighing in exasperation saw the phone's screen and put it in her ear "detective, what's up? Okay. Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way" she hung up and looked at Aubrey "I gotta go, could you go watch my mother for a bit? I'll go when I finish with Harmon." Aubrey nodded "'Kay, bye, take care people!" she left and got into a car. Meanwhile, they finished lunch, Aubrey went to the hospital, and Alan to take a long and well deserved nap, and Chloe and Jesse started doing the dishes so he could go to make Aubrey company and Chloe could go see if Beca was done so they could go visit her mother too now that she was in a room.

As all of this was happening, Beca sat talking with detective Harmon.

"...we've gotten to track Cressida's cards use, all of them under a fake identity of Cressida Whales, and it is shown that she paid for flights that were between LA, Pennsylvania and Portland in the proper dates to fit in the story, and we believe Pennsylvania is probably were she has her hideout, and where she killed them. With a private jet, that she could afford with her fortune, she could have been everywhere on time, or her brother, who we think has been helping her all along, probably used by her." The woman explained Beca excitedly putting a map of Pennsylvania in front of Beca "We've alerted our people there and they are looking for the whole city for a place that could be her hideout."

"It could take months!"

"I know, but I'll be flying there tonight to help them with some officers more. The chemicals and other staff they found on their bodies will help us know what kind of place we are looking for. We had that information before, but it just contrasted with too many places, but now that we know it was most probably Pennsylvania, it'll be easier, we will have a list of maybe ten most likely places in the next couple hours."

Beca nodded excitedly and looked at the maps with as much attention as she could, knowing that maybe she could help, maybe she could remember something. Then, the detective's phone sounded and she started talking on the phone, and Beca suddenly saw the map and had a name, she remembered having gone there with Cressida once, one time they wanted to have sex but Beca didn't want to spread rumors in LA -some paparazzi were starting to get suspicious- so Cressida talked about that place she owned, even if Beca didn't exactly know where it was. But before she could alert the detective, this one snapped at her.

"Ten minutes ago Cressida came from the front towards the police car in which Chloe and Jesse were, shot the driver, an officer, to death, shot Jesse too, but he's not dead, and kidnapped Chloe. They said your mother got in cardiac arrest, they think Cressida pretended to be a nurse somehow, and gave her some kind of poison... Beca, she... she died. And right after poisoning her, she went to the street and that's when the shooting happened... You gotta go to the hospital, my guys and I are going to the airport, try to catch her before..."

Beca's phone sounded and she took it quickly, having an idea of who could be.

"If you want to see her again, make sure police doesn't find us." Beca opened her mouth still in shock but the woman on the phone hung up, Beca stared at the detective and then at the map.

"It was... A... Aubrey... you just... I'm gonna go, you go here" she pointed to a not-so-random town in Portland "it sounds familiar!"

That said, she ran away and got into the first police car she found, breathing quickly as adrenaline ran through her veins, her eyes watery. She had to save Chloe, and then she'll made sure Jesse was okay. And God, she needed to see her mother, and father, and revenge everybody.

"To the airport, quickly!" she demanded.

"But miss Mitchell-"

"Airport! and put the siren on!" in the meantime she reserved a place in the first plane going to where she knew she had to go alone.

Once in the plane, she took her phone. She had an email app that only need internet to send the message, but not to write them, so she started typing furiously.

 _Aubrey:_

 _I know what happened with Jess and Chloe. Please, stay strong for Jesse, I'll bring Chloe back and safe. You need to make me a huge favor and take care of my father... I... don't blame yourself for anything. You couldn't have know who she was, but you can describe her to the police. Also, let my dad help you too._

 _Don't worry about me. I'll be home as soon as I have Chloe in my arms. I can't tell you where I'm going, thought, or we'll never see her again, but our dear friend Harmon may want to know that she's a woman of steel. And I am, too._

 _Remember I love you all. Take care of Jesse._

 _Always,_

 _Beca._

She pressed send so the mail will be sent right when the plane landed, and hoped that Harmon would catch the hidden message in the right time.

When she arrived, alone, to the airport, she found a man waiting for her with a cardboard that said _Miss B. Mitchell_ and went to it.

"What are you doing?" Beca asked nervously.

"I know nothing, she didn't say anything, she just gave me five hundred bucks and tell me to find you and tell you to get into that car." The anonymous man pointed towards a car. She got into the driver seat and found the GPS ready with a destination already marked.


	13. Chapter 13

**There you go ;)**

Chapter 13: Hell breaks loose (I)

Beca's destination was about an hour away or so. She was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and according to her GPS, she had to go through the whole city until almost the middle of the forests that surrounded the city. Beca had recognized the city in the map, remembering that once Cressida had taken her to _her place_ , an old abandoned filming studio that she had forgotten, was in Pittsburgh. That if she ever knew, because Cressida had taken there as a surprise and hadn't let her know anything in the way there.

Beca's heart was pounding in her chest like if it wanted to come out, worried about Jesse, worried about Chloe, her father, and worried about everybody. Suddenly her phone rang, and she took it expecting Cressida, but calmed when she saw Aubrey's picture in the screen.

"Aubrey, how's Jesse?"

"He's... he'll be fine they have him in the ICU, the bullet went to his stomach, but they say he should be fine, more or less... he was also a little bit beaten because the other car hit theirs hard, and he's still unconscious. Beca... I..." the girl seemed very shaken up, and Beca could tell she had been crying.

"Aubrey, listen to me" Beca tried to sound as firm as she could 'are you alone?"

"Yeah... yeah, I got your email, told your father I needed to go to the bathroom, but I'm actually in the hospital's garden, alone, I thought if nobody could know where you were it was for a good reason. Becs... what are you doing? You need to come, police will..."

"No, Aubrey. I'm forever thankful to you, but I'm not leaving Chloe to the cops, if Cressida even suspects somebody else knows, she'll hurt Chloe, and I've seen with my own eyes what she's capable of doing. And she won't do anything to Chloe without knowing it's really going to hurt" her voice cracked and she breathed deeply, trying to get herself in check "Listen, Aubrey, you take care. Make sure to be there when Jesse wakes up, and make sure to keep my dad calm enough, it's extremely important that you guys don't go looking for me. But you gotta talk to Harmon about how much you'd like to see the Steelers or the Penguins play one day, tell her I'm playing with them today."

"Okay, Becs, I'm so confused... are you gonna be alright?"

"I know honey, but you gotta keep being that brave woman you are. I... honestly, I don't know. But I'll make sure to bring Chloe safely home. You said Jesse was in part hurt because of the crash, so probably she's too, so I gotta be quick. I love you." She hung up gulping the knot she had in her throat. Her mother was dead. God, oh, god, she was gonna kill that woman, killing her mother just when she was about to finally wake up and get her ass home? Son of a... at least she could console herself thinking she had gone peacefully and not like the others.

She turned her phone off and drove faster, not caring about any driving laws and praying for the police to stay out of her way for a little bit more. She started humming _Titanium_ trying to keep herself calm, and as she went into the forests, now in the last part of her small trip, she started seeing a long blank wall that formed a big square with some old filming buildings inside. It was more in ruins than anything, but it was big and secured enough.

She parked the car at the door, behind another car that was empty, and made sure to park hers in a position that allowed her and easy and fast exit. She went out of the dark, looking at the half opened, big gate, and gulping nervous. She was actually shaking, pretty terrified, but got all the courage she needed when she saw small blood drops in the gravel in the ground. _Chloe_ she thought before breathing deeply, nodding for herself, and determined, got into the old _Pittsburgh Studios_. She followed the footsteps and occasional tear drops in the soil until she entered the main building.

It was very dark and cold, but there were small lights in the walls, so she followed a wide corridor, until she saw a door half opened. When she got in, she had to fight the tears as she saw a small room without windows, all the light coming from the corridor, and recognized Jackie's school bag in the ground covered in dust. _This is it_ she thought _this is were she kept Jackie, from where he called her_. She left the bag in the door so she could easily pick it up in case she could go back home, and continued walking, trying to keep her mind clear, as thoughtless as she could. She had to stop in her tracks again and resist the urge to vomit as she spotted the dead body of Mungus Etton in one side, warms and all, and he seemed to have been stabbed repeatedly. That only made Beca walk faster, until she got to an enormous room, well illuminated and with a couple small windows.

She took the room in and almost puked or collapsed, she wasn't sure. There were some tables here and there, like the ones the vets have, and they were full of dry blood. There were blood pools here and there, and in the walls, half of them covered in all kinds of bloody tools, like saws or hammers, and others that seemed for torture. She gulped. Here she killed them. She used the sudden anger to keep herself steady, and then she saw a ginger body in the ground, and ran towards it.

"Chloe!" she knelt beside it, and got her wrist first. She had a good pulse, maybe she was just unconscious. She sighed in relieve, and turned the body to see her face. Chloe was a little beaten up, and had a bit of blood in her lip and forehead, but Beca thought she was fine "Chlo, Chlo, quickly, get up, it's time to go..." then she heard a laugh and got up and turned around as quick as a lighting.

There, closing the room's door -fortunately without keys or anything- was a blonde, tall woman, that could easily have been Kate Hudson's lost twin, as beautiful and fierce as Beca remembered.

"It's been so long love, you really wouldn't think you could go that easily, right?"

"What do you want, Cressida? You are responsible for around six deaths that we know about, including your own brother! What do you think is going to happen to us when they -and believe me, they will- catch you?" she tried to be as determined and fierce as the old Beca, but Cressida laughed.

"Ah, yeah, my stupid, retarded brother. He just wasn't good enough to kill your mother when I told him to, so I had to end the job for him, and end him aswell. And regarding your question, honey, I don't care! I was thinking about raping and beating the crap out of you, and then dismembering you, but not without making you see me do the same to your pretty lady down there" she said pointing towards Chloe.

"What did you do to her?" Beca asked trying not to shake and to be the less fearful she could.

"She was kind of dizzy after the crash, but she was still a strong fighter, so I injected her a high dose of morphine, don't worry, she will wake up to join our party' Chloe moaned in pain but still didn't awake or moved 'see?" Beca nodded, looking from Chloe to Cressida "she's really sexy, by the way. I only wanted to rape you, but after seeing her I though man, she's hot, and I've never done gingers. I was about to to your family, though, but little Jackie was just shaking so much, and his parents..." she laughed "yeah, I actually fucked them both. While they watched, can you believe it? They got some interesting staff in autopsy from their pieces, though, but they couldn't tell I raped them."

"You sick bastard..." Beca started feeling her eyes watery with anger and tightening her fists.

"Hold on there, Rebeca, sweetie. You see, it was fun, at first it wasn't going to be like this, but, again your fault, you made it so funny I was like, why not?" she said with a cold voice and a smirk, playing with something in a table that Beca, horrified, realized was a big toy, if you know what I mean.

"You're totally nuts, you've completely lost your mind woman!"

"Beca, shut the fuck up, won't you baby?" Cressida said not being that nice anymore "I can't threat with not making you suffer so much, because I want to hear you scream but, look... I'm bipolar, so maybe I'll let ginger scape if you're nice, okay?" Beca nodded. She really hoped Harmon was in her way, as the blonde got closer and closer to Beca, who shivered.

"Why?" Beca asked.

"Because you broke my heart. And ran away, like a coward. And I was sad and alone, with an stupid brother on my charge... I wanted revenge. I wanted you to suffer losing as many loved ones as possible, so you were close to feeling the shit I went through with losing you, and then I found out you loved Chloe the most, and here we are" she was right in front of Beca, who stood still as the woman leaned to kiss her neck and whisper in her ear "look, this is gonna happen you want it or not, so try have a good time, one last good night like the ones we used to have, and then I'll just dismember you as quickly as I can, and it'll all be over."

"Over my dead body" Beca smashed pushing her back with all her forces and ran towards Chloe, shaking her strongly, but the ginger wouldn't even flinch "Babe, babe, wake up! We gotta go! Eh! LET ME GO!" a pair of strong arms had taken her from behind and pulled her up. Beca was so little thing against the tall and strong blonde that she couldn't even reach the ground, and it didn't matter how she tried, she couldn't free herself, and soon she felt a needle in the back of her neck and her limbs went limp "What did you do?!" she screamed feeling her arms and legs totally numb.

"It's just a nervous system relaxer, you see? I improved it myself" she said laying Beca cautiously over one of the big metal, cold tables that were in the room, putting her extremities like if she was an _X_ or a sea star and tying her limbs strongly so she wouldn't move. Beca had know tears spreading down her cheeks "relax, the effect will pass soon so you can properly have fun with me. Oh, look who's awaking."

She took a long rope that was in an open closet -with other things that made Beca sick just to see them- and ran towards Chloe, who was barely trying to sit down, and taking advantage of the ginger's numbness, she pulled her up with her strong arms -Chloe got scared and screamed in that second- and in a way too fast for a person that just recovered consciousness, she tied her wrists strongly with the rope and tied the other extremes of the rope to some big shackles that were in the lowest part of the closest wall to them.

"Right in the perfect time, darling" Cressida said with the sweetest and most lovingly of the voices, kneeling in front of her. Chloe was sitting in her ass, looking confused as ever, and looked at the woman as realization hit her eyes, and then she saw Beca, who had just recovered enough feeling in her arms to support on her elbows.

"Beca! Beca!" Chloe shouted crying suddenly with her eyes full of fear, and Cressida laughed as Chloe tried to stand up, realized she was tied, and fell flat on her ass again.

"It's okay baby, I'll get you home safe, no matter what" Beca tried to calm her down, her own heart in pain just to see how anxious Chloe was getting "you gotta stay calm, my love, so you can think clearly and help me get us outta here, okay?"

"You know, this is going to be so fun!" Cressida screamed laughing in excitement, as she sat in a chair that had just moved to sit beside Beca's table "this cheered me up every time I had to get into a jet to go either LA or Portland, or here, or send my brother for that matter. I was just getting so anxious..."

"How... how did you do it?" Beca asked, trying to gain some time. She knew that the police had to know they were in Pittsburgh by now, the Steelers and the Penguins were Pittsburgh's American Football Team and Ice Hockey Team respectively, the clue was obvious, but they had to look everywhere in the city. Beca just hoped they could get into her phone's localization program, she had left it in the car, and had made sure to turn it on right before leaving the car "I'm impressed, you moved so fast between cities..." Beca tried to flatter her, knowing how much the blonde liked to be admired.

"Aw, you saw, didn't you?" Cressida smiled sweetly, a finger running through Beca's neck "It wasn't that hard with our private jets, family fortune. First, Cressida Whales went to medical school, so I knew a bunch of things to keep my mind entertained while thinking about this very day. The sign to start was when I saw in this app that there was going to be an small quake in Portland, so I went in time to kidnap Jackie, and, you saw the dark room on the way here? He lived there for a day or so" she explained excitedly and both Chloe and Beca were staring at her, horror in their faces "Eventually I kidnapped his parents, but I just took them here as fast as I could, pulled them there" she pointed to a bloody table bigger than Beca's that was close to hers "tied Jackie over where Chloe is know, and dismembered them. Then took Jackie to his room" Beca looked at her in shock.

"You made him watch?!" she cried in a high pitch. She already knew that because of the letter, but hearing it, with that careless tone, that killed her even more.

"Well, yeah" Cressida replied simply, and laughed "it was beautiful actually..." she seemed to go back to the memory for a second "he got really close with Mungus, though, so I sat with them one night in his dark room, covered your kid in gasoline, turned a match on, and keep it in my hand so he could call you, but not say a thing. I told him I'll put him on fire if he talked too much!" Cressida laughed. Beca's inferior lip shivered "Fortunately, that kid is really intelligent, like any two year old I've ever seen. Afterward I took him here and I'll cut him into pieces like a banana. His was really small, by the way." She was talking cheerfully, so happy, so naturally that she could aswell just be talking about her eighteen birthday party, but on the other side, Beca looked at her, mouth half opened, her eyes watery, and a look in her face that was just undecipherable, a mix between the biggest of pains and shock. Chloe, on the other side, was crying silently, using the distraction to reach with her feet an small knife she had seen in the ground -with dried blood, like almost everything there- and, thanking the Bellas and all the dancing lessons she had taken in her life for her flexibility, got to take the knife by its handle, pass it to her knee, take it with her mouth, and she started cutting the robes desperately. Beca noticed and put more effort in entertaining Cressida.

"What else did you do?" Beca asked, her voice shaking.

"I was the one to go to LA with Jackie's pieces, my brother went to Portland. He found you in the pub, he shot your mother, he fought you guys in the house..." she shrugged "I just got tired of doing the dirty work. But he was less and less convinced every time, so when he failed to kill your mother, I had to kill him." They stood in silence and when Beca saw the woman was about to check on Chloe -who was half way through cutting the robe that tied her right hand so she could use her skilled hand to free the other more quickly- she did the first ridiculous thing she could to avoid it.

"Sorry" she said suddenly, and Cressida looked at her surprised. Beca let her tears free in silence and Cressida caressed her cheek lovingly.

"For what, my love?"

"For not loving you like you deserve. But you... you said we could still have some fun, right? Old times' style?" she pulled her best fake grin and smirked.

"Of course sweetheart, I've missed you" she sat on the table on one of Beca's sides to look at her in the eyes, her back towards Chloe, who was know frantically trying to break the other rope. Beca knew she had to really absorb Cressida in their own world so Chloe could kick her ass from behind without being discovered half way.

"I've missed you too... just let me show you."

Cressida leaned in and started making out with Beca passionately, even if the only thing Beca felt like doing was puking, but she pulled through and got her tongue to dance with Cressida's and soon, the blonde was biting her neck, a little roughly, but Beca faked moans so she would keep going, and tried not to scream when the blonde ripped her t-shirt, pulled her brassiere to a side, and pulled a nipple in her mouth as her hand popped three fingers into Beca -who was dry as a dessert- suddenly, and Beca bit her lip as tears went through her cheeks. But suddenly, she heard a rough:

"Get off my girlfriend, you bitch!" and with a force Beca had never seen in Chloe, the ginger used the rope she had just broken to strangle Cressida with force, but again, Cressida was bigger and stronger, so she threw Chloe against a wall and they started throwing fists, until Beca heard a loud scream of pain, and Cressida fell to the ground. Chloe ran towards Beca with a bleeding knife that she had used to free herself and to, apparently, stab Cressida, and in a matter of seconds, she had freed Beca's left hand, as the brunette was left-handed, and gave the knife to Beca to keep freeing herself as she went back to Cressida, who was starting to stay up.

Beca frantically freed her right hand as Cressida and Chloe keep fighting furiously, until she heard a loud noise and when she looked up, saw Cressida releasing a bar, and Chloe unconscious in the ground, blood running down her temple, a lip swollen, and a few bruises and scratches here and there. Cressida came running towards Beca, that only needed to free a foot whose rope was almost cut.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cressida screamed.

"To hell, but you're coming with me" with that, Beca pulled strongly her foot out to break the rest of the rope, and kicked Cressida right in the chin, and the blonde, who already had a bleeding belly and a broken nose along with some bruises and scratches, fell on her ass with a shriek.

Beca then jumped over her, beating the crap out of her with all her energy and accumulated anger, until she felt Cressida's feet on her belly and next thing she knew, she was laying in the ground on her back, and everything hurt. Then, the blonde was over her, kissing her and leaving a great amount of scratches in her skin with a blade, as Beca tried to fight back. She was in pain, but suddenly her pain levels increased to an unimaginable amount as she screamed like she had never screamed. Cressida had taken one of the hammers that hung in the walls and had used all her strength to hit her left arm right above her elbow.


	14. Chapter 14

**I don't know how nobody told me anything, but I'm stupid and dumb and I've been writing Michael instead of Joseph for a while. It's all fixed now, though. Well, Beca's brother is Joseph, not Michael, who's Anna's brother. That's why I messed it up, I guess. Sorry.**

 **Also, the sequel I'm currently writing has many mini plots, so if there's anything you'd like to see, or any suggestions or you're like "i'd love to see Beca had an allergy" if there are things I can put easily, I will, so talk to me!**

 **I'm posting this today in honor of 9/11, for you Americans, and for one of my besties who has just become an adult! Congrats girl!**

* * *

Chapter 14: Hell breaks loose (II).

Beca shot her eyes open as she saw a flash of red and then Chloe had beaten Cressida hard with the same bar that had made her be unconscious a while ago, and Cressida fell to the ground besides Beca. Chloe stood there, her red hair messy, her breathing quick, her figure a bit dizzy trying to recover and not falling again, and Beca laid there looking at her, feeling her arm burn and being too afraid to look at it. Cressida turned to lay on her back and then Chloe went to a table, took a random knife, and handed it to Beca.

"End her" was everything she said. She had tears in her cheeks, half her face was covered in blood that came from a head wound, and she seemed more than exhausted. So Beca nodded, saved her own pain for later, turned around, and stabbed Cressida in her chest with all the forces she could use, that mainly came from pure anger. The blonde's eyes shot wide open, as blood started coming out of her mouth and wound, quickly. After what seemed too long, she was dead.

Completely exhausted, Chloe sat besides Beca, who laid looking at her left arm in utter shock. Her left arm was turning purple and pink, she couldn't move it at all, and she knew the humerus was broken. It hurt so bad she couldn't even cry.

"Don't look at it, look at me" Chloe said with an hoarse voice leaning and kissing her softly in the lips, then separating and cleaning Beca's cheeks "you are loved. You are strong. You are going to be fine, everything is going to be alright. I promise."

Beca nodded.

"Your head... it's bleeding..." Chloe nodded.

"I know, I don't know how bad it is but I feel dizzier than ever, so you need to help me out. This place smells like death, blood... and it's fucking disgusting, so let's go, we need to get our asses to the closest hospital" Chloe helped Beca get up and when the brunette winced in pain at her arm hanging loosely, Chloe looked around until she found some fabrics that had probably been used to tie, and improvised a sling to keep Beca's arm as still as possible "Come on, you need to drive or else we'll probably have an accident."

They started walking numbly, supporting in each other, towards the car. In the way, they got Jackie's bag, and they also had to stop a few times so Chloe could vomit, as the ginger was getting dizzier by the minute.

"I don't know if I can do it, I feel like passing out" Beca said once they were sitting in the car and the brunette had settled the GPS to get them to the hospital, that was half an hour away.

"Look at me" Chloe's sweaty palm touched her cheek, and they stared at each other's exhausted eyes "you can do this, you have to, because I'm certainly going to pass out really soon. My phone fell in the other car, but I can use yours... take..." she was starting to not be able to talk, so used the little energy she had left to just take Beca's phone, make a picture of the GPS screen, and send it to Harmon "if you feel like collapsing... just... park nicely, 'kay?"

Beca nodded and breathed deeply before starting the engine. Next time she looked at the ginger, she had already passed out against the window. Beca started singing _Titanium_ , trying to distract herself from her pain, the blood that soaked her clothes -most of it came from the cuts Etton had made in her arms and chest, that even if not very deep, bleed a lot- and her own dizziness as she drove towards the city. Her phone sounded and she pulled to a side to take it, seeing Harmon's name in the screen from her sideways.

"Harmon?" the brunette asked tiredly putting the engine off.

"How're you doing, sweetie?" the detective asked, voice full of worry, Beca could hear sirens in the background.

"I'm... utter exhausted..." Beca said in a low voice "I can't drive anymore, det"

"After all, I think it's okay to call me Jane. Don't worry about driving, we've intercepted your phone location and we're less than twenty minutes away. We've been searching through Pittsburgh for hours, but thank god for your clues. How's Chloe doing?"

"She passed out, she... I don't know how she did it, Jane, but she fought so hard, it was... amazing, scary and surprising, honesty... and she has been hit pretty hard, her head is bleeding, but she pulled through somehow and helped me get to the car, and sent you the pic..." she closed her eyes, supporting her left temple on the window "my left humerus it's completely shattered, Etton hit me with a hammer. She killed her brother, by the way... and... I just..." she started crying, not because her arm hurt like hell, but for everything else. For September, and those couple weeks of October. She felt miserable.

"Sh... it's okay honey, it's all going to be just fine."

"How's... how's Jess?"

"The bullet was in his stomach, and he lost a lot of blood, but he's alright, he's strong. Aubrey hasn't left his side, nor your father, and he's even awake and feeling pretty good."

"And... dad?"

"He's nervous, they were all worried and anxious the whole time, sad because of your mother, and because of everything really, but I made sure they knew the night wouldn't come without Chloe and you safe and with us. Listen, Becs... it's Etton dead?"

"Yeah, Chloe and I stabbed here, and Chloe really took the crap out of her. That woman of mine can be pretty scaring sometimes..." Jane Harmon laughed softly "I'm worried about her, Jane... I don't know if she hurt her brain really bad..."

"We have cut this road and a medical helicopter is going to arrive soon after us and take you guys to Portland's Hospital, because it has a better brain specialist than Pittsburgh's, and I believe she'll be fine. You said she's been talking and taking the bull by the horns, right? So she mustn't be very bad."

"Okay..."

"You wanna sleep a bit, honey?"

"Yeah..."

"That's okay. You've been really brave, and we are all so very proud of both of you. Try get some rest, I'll be there in ten."

Beca immersed herself in a bunch of terrible dreams, in which she relieved everything she had experienced or seen the last weeks, only that usually in her dreams everything turned much more worse, bloody and tragic. Nevertheless, when she felt the hot sun against her face, she felt strangely in peace. Slowly, she realized she could move all of her twenty fingers, which relaxed her immensely, but she still didn't open her eyes. Sounds were starting to come to her ears, and as she started smelling hospital, she heard Jesse's soft laugh, and Aubrey's sweet voice, saying something she couldn't understand. And then she heard Chloe's voice, which instantly passed to be her favorite sound ever.

"I think she's having another nightmare..." Chloe was saying in her sweet, beautiful voice, the most amazing and magnificent sound in the Universe. And she felt her father's soft hand, the back of it, stroking her cheek lovingly. And she opened her eyes, closed them immediately, and them blinked a bit until she got used to the light.

"I'm glad to see your beautiful eyes again, sweetheart" her father said, sitting in her bed, with the biggest smile she had seen in his face in weeks.

"I'm happy to see you too, dad" she said, her voice sounding surprisingly hoarse.

"Is she awake?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, she is" Aubrey answered coming into Beca's vision with an small plastic glass of water that Beca drank slowly.

With a bit of effort, she sat on her bed, that was already put in a semi-sitting position, and looked around. Chloe, also sitting in her bed comfortably, was smiling at her, and Beca smiled back more happy to see her than ever. The ginger had a bandage pressed against her forehead and surrounding her whole head. Jesse was sitting in her bed, perfectly dressed and seeming quite in good shape, and Aubrey was on her feet between the two beds, smiling at her. They were in a big, room, with big windows from which she could see Portland's beaches in the distance, and the room was very well illuminated. Between the two beds was a nightstand with a jar of water, flowers, and a few plastic glasses, and here and there were a pair of machines that were sound-off and indicated both of their heartbeats, and some IV bags that went to their arms with serum or other staff. Beca realized she had a strip on her temple, and that her left arm was completely immobilized with a sling, and her cuts were already almost completely invisible. That was weird, she thought, because it must have passed a night, tops.

"How are you babe?" Beca asked looking at Chloe.

"I've been better, but also worse" Chloe answered smiling "I have a concussion, but the doc said I should be fine. What about you?"

"The same?" Beca smiled wanting to kiss her, but instead looking at Jesse "how about you weirdo? Already out of the hospital?"

"I'm pretty good, and actually you should know you've been sleeping for ten days, you won for a day over Chlo" he smiled softly.

"Ten days?" Beca didn't even know why that surprised her, she had felt exhausted, after all. She looked at her father "did you got Jackie's school bag?"

"Yes, don't worry, detective Harmon said Chloe was holding it when they found you guys. It's at home" Alan answered "actually, there are some things we need to discuss if you feel up to it."

"I've missed mum's funeral" Beca said suddenly and Alan nodded slowly.

"She's with Joseph, Kendra and Jackie for you to visit whenever you come home. We waited three days, but we couldn't wait more, and the doctors said you would probably take long to wake up since you were so exhausted and also the painkillers were pretty strong. We made a quick funeral, your grandparents came... you should know that after all, it was impossible to keep the press away, so the news have run like a fire" Alan explained as slowly as he could, taking in Beca's facial gestures "I told your grandparents to go home already, but they were here a few days, so maybe you should call them someday, no hurries. They were pretty broken, had to find all four deaths at once."

"I will, thanks dad" Beca nodded slowly.

"Roger came a few days ago, too, but I told him any men could touch my daughter and then expect us to treat him nicely, so he went back home. Angela and Amy came too, but they're at the hotel now, I'll call them later, let them know you're awake. The Bellas are here, too."

"The Bellas are here?" Beca repeated and Aubrey answered this time.

"Benji, Stacie, Amy, Emily, Jessica, Cynthia and Flo all came, just went down to have some lunch, we had it earlier so somebody was always here making you guys some company."

"A man alone with so many woman? Wow, Jess..." Beca joked looking at him, who stood up and laughed.

"Yeah, I better go to the rescue. I'll tell them to wait an hour before coming so you can have some peace." He said and after kissing Aubrey, and then Beca and Chloe's cheek, went out.

"How's the pregnancy, by the way?" Beca asked looking at Aubrey.

"It's fine, the babies are fine, and look" Aubrey pullet her sweeter up, and Beca could clearly see an small pregnant belly, and smiled at that.

"Great!" Beca said excitedly and then looked back to her father "you wanted to talk, dad, or that was all you had to tell me?"

"There's a bit more, actually" Alan looked down at her "Your mother left everything to you and Joseph, so obviously, everything goes to you. The house is yours, so is the car, I've already arranged all the paperwork so you have nothing to do. In the drawer" he pointed to the nightstand "I've left the house's keys, the car's keys, your wallet and your cellphone. You can sell the car, but I think it would be better to keep the house, sell all you want, hire a good gardener, and so the house will be ready for you wherever you feel like coming back to Portland. You are also owner of your brother's house, but maybe you should just sell it, after all, we already emptied it so..." he nodded for himself and sighed "Sheila and Addie went to a park close by, but are here too. They've been for some days now."

"Please, please dad don't make me see Sheila" Beca said with an small smile "My stepsister, that's more than great, but not the step-monster." Alan laughed.

"Yeah, I'll go now to pick Addie and get her to see her sister, but actually I was thinking, and it's only if you're okay with it, on going back to Atlanta today now that you're awake. Sheila and I have work, Addie has school, and it's all over now, so... but only if you feel okay with it, I really don't care about staying here all the time you need, but all your besties are here, and..."

"It's okay, dad" Beca smiled sincerely "you're right. I've got work myself, and I've already kidnapped these four weirdos for too long, so you should go back home. Take your wife and my little sis, and I'll go visit you in a couple weeks or so. I don't really know what I am going to do with my life now that it's all over."

"You're sure?" Beca nodded "Fine, I've given Chloe, and you've got the numbers in your phone too, the name of some very good psychologists and therapists and physical therapists in Los Angeles, and others in Atlanta just in case, so your arm recovers properly and so do both of you're minds. I'll even see one in Atlanta myself. You just have to take real good care of yourself now, okay sweetie?"

"Don't worry, as long as my arm doesn't falls, I'll be okay. Thank you so much, dad" she smiled sadly, intertwining her fingers with her dad's "And I'm so sorry about everything."

"I know, me too" he kissed her forehead "I'll call you everyday okay? And anything you need..."

"I know, I know... just go bring my sis back, it's been forever since the last time!"

Her father smiled, nodded, and left.

"We've never met your sister, right?" asked Aubrey sitting in Beca's bed.

"No, she was born a bit after the worlds, I had just moved to LA, so..." she shrugged "I hated her at first, but she's too good for me to hate her. It's like a smaller version of my dad, fortunately, and sometimes realize she has some of my gestures. When she grows up and starts hating her mother, I'll just tell her to move in with me" Beca joked and looked at her stunning girlfriend "You scared the crap out of me missy, I've never seen you so angry, and it was kind of hot seeing you punch like that."

Chloe and Aubrey laughed.

"What can I say, I'm a lion by nature" Chloe joked moving her red hair, and then Jesse and the Bellas came in and after a wave of kisses, small talk and laughs, they sat calmly or in the few chairs that were in the room, or in the feet and sides of the bed and the room calmed a little. Then, detective Harmon knocked the door and went in.

"Good afternoon people" she said happily and went to Beca "so, I heard you were feeling much better."

"Well, I think knowing that the bitch is dead really removed a weigh" Beca admitted with a smile "Thank you so much for everything, Jane."

"It's my job, and actually, you did most of it on your own. We've spent some days giving stolen cars back to their owners, and visited the refuge the bitch had, pretty horrifying, but it's been closed down, and I found this that I thought you may want." She took Beca's healthy arm, and put something in her wrist. When Beca looked, she found her nephew's gold chain, that had _JFM_ engraved in one of the links, that was sightly bigger than the others and looked like a tiny tiny medallion. Beca sniffled and smiled.

"Thank you. I gave this to him the day I met him." The chain could be adjusted pretty well, so the kid had had it for years, and now it still could fit her wrist.

"I figured" Jane smiled "also, this is the only other thing we found. Chloe said that for the place I described, it was in his room. He must've gotten bored" She handed Beca a painting, it wasn't really good, but Beca had seen enough to tell those were her brother and sister in law, Jackie, Alan, Sarah, Sheila _really Jackie?_ , Addie and herself. The whole family in what seemed to be the beach. Beca remembered that day, it was the only day all of them had gone together anywhere, and it has been on Joseph's last birthday, when Beca had invited everybody to Los Angeles for a weekend. She cleaned the tears in her eyes and smiled at the woman.

"Thank you" was everything she could say, as she reached for her wallet to keep the drawing safe there.

"And before I forget" Jane added as she was about to leave "the medical examiner said Etton was really beaten up. A stab wound in her liver..."

"You're welcome" Chloe said smiling and some -including Beca- let a small laugh. Jane Harmon smiled before going on.

"...a few scratches, broken nose, several bruises, and we found her with a pretty big knife sunken in her chest almost entirely."

"My pleasure" added Beca keeping with Chloe's joke.

"I will never piss you off" joked Jane "Congratulations, Mitchell. You made justice."

"We aren't going to go to jail for this right?" asked Chloe.

"No, it was pretty obvious it was self-defense. Take care ladies, it was an honor to meet you." Jane smiled, and left "Oh, hey..." they heard, and soon Alan Mitchell and a little girl were there.

The girl wasn't older than three years old, was chubby, pale as Beca, brown eyes, and messy brunette curly short hair. Addison Sophie Mitchell didn't look at anybody except Beca, and ran towards her, jumping to the bed and hugging her sister tight.

"Hey there sis!" Beca smiled at her father and then looked at her sister, who sat besides her "I've missed you!"

"Me too, but daddy said I could stay for a bit before we go... are you coming home with us? You should dress up!"

"I... I can't go with you honey, I have to stay here for a few days more or so... but hey, I told dad that I'll pay you a little visit soon."

"Okay" the girl smiled. She looked surprisingly like Beca, except for the eyes, that were Alan's, and a few little things that seemed to be Sheila's. The girl lowered her voice and looked at everyone else "Who are these people Becs?"

"Oh, they are my best friends in the whole world" Beca answered "you remember the videos I showed you of me singing in college?" the girl nodded "well, don't they sound familiar then?" the girl's eyes widened in realization.

"You're right! Hey..." she saluted shyly and the others said hi too. Beca pointed at Chloe.

"What do you think about her?" Chloe smiled and blushed.

"She's really pretty" Addie whispered.

"Yeah, right? That's what I thought, too. So I made her my girlfriend, her name is Chloe."

"So she's like another sister?"

"Sort of" Chloe answered sweetly "but for now I can be your play buddy!"

"That would be awesome!" the tiny girl said excitedly, and looked at her sister again "but I don't understand, don't women date men?"

"Most of the time, yes" Beca answered "I've done that a lot, too. But, you see? Love knows nothing about genres, and I fell in love with that lady. And I was lucky enough to be loved back. And a lot of people goes through that, too... you see that lady over there? She's Cynthia Rose, and she married a beautiful lady, and so did my secretary and she was a couple of amazing children you should maybe meet one day. And sometimes, men fall in love with other men too."

Addie nodded in understatement and smiled.

"So when I grow up, I can marry whoever I want? Even if they're black, or a bit ugly, or know nothing about music?"

"Yeah, of course you can. Dad and I will make sure he or she treats you well before agreeing to any wedding, though" Beca smiled "Now, it's time to go missy, you've got to say hi to Mr. Donnie the Rabbit for me!" Addie nodded jumping off the bed.

"Did you know that Mr. Donnie bought me cakes for my birthday?" the girl added looking back when she reached her father and Beca rose her eyebrows.

"Really?" the girl nodded excitedly.

"Come on sweetie, wait outside with your mother, I'm gonna say bye" Alan opened the door and the kid went out.

"You're getting better with kids, daddy" Beca joked as the man approached and kissed her cheek "what's that for?"

"I'm gonna miss you, and I really do care about you. So call me tonight, okay?" the man said dead-serious, and Beca's eyes watered a little.

"I will. You realize I've been crying almost non-stop for weeks and I'm tired, right?" Beca joked and Alan smiled.

"I love you Becs."

"I love you too. Have a good trip home."

Alan was about to exit the room when Sheila pecked in.

"Hey! I just wanted to say hi, hope you're doing good."

"Hi, thank you Sheila. Have a good flight." Beca smiled politely and the woman and her father left. She let go a sight and got more comfortable in the bed.

The others had been having small talk between them, some laughs, but silence came again, and before Beca could realize, Chloe had ran to her bed and was kissing her, or making out with her.

"I couldn't hold back any longer" Chloe whispered against her lips when she went to breath, ignoring the other's whistles.

"If you didn't come, I would have" Beca said kissing her again.

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 **What do you think? You liked it? Reviews please, and don't forget, if you have ideas for the sequel or things you'd love to see them go through or whatever, I'm all eyes and ears!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Here you have chapter 15 of 18, and then the sequel! This chapter can go from terribly sad to terribly dumb and funny, just so you know, and also, if you feel you could be triggered, just don't read the paragraphs that could affect you too much. It's been an honor to write for you and since there are only three chapters left, I'm gonna leave more space between chap and chap... that is, of course, unless you guys spoil me to the level of not being able to hold myself back hahahah**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter 15: Scars.

Rebeca Mitchell closed her shirt -a red checkered one that she borrowed from her brother so she wouldn't have to make her arm go through an sleeve- with one hand and some difficulty watching how a number of small scars of cuts hide under it as she buttoned it up. It had been a day since she had gotten out of the hospital, fifteen days after Etton's death, and she was having an small Halloween dinner in the garden of her mother's house with the few Bellas that had come to Portland, plus Chloe, Jesse, Aubrey -and the two Swansons inside of her- Angela and Amy. The children these last two had had stayed in LA with some of their grandparents.

Beca wasn't in her best mood. Her arm hurt like hell sometimes, and the doctors had said that they almost had to amputate it since her humerus was practically in pieces, and that it would take four or five months for the plaster and the sling to go, and a year for the arm to fully recover, which Beca hated because she was left-handed and needed that hand to play music and produce her mixes, or write, or button up her damn shirts, so she was starting to learn how to use the other hand as best as she could. She pulled a jacket over, pulling the zipper up so it wouldn't fall given the fact that only her right arm was inside the sleeve. Another flaw was that she had a cast from her shoulder to a little bit lower than her elbow, and really tight sling that wouldn't let her arm separate from her body more than a couple centimeters, which made getting dressed a hard task, and she could barely stand two seconds without the sling on before she was in pain, so that's how long it could take for her to put her arm through an sleeve, and most of the time she just put big clothes so she could let her arm out of the sleeve, even if that way she seemed to have some belly because of the arm hidden under her clothes.

She had just gotten up of her nap, since she barely slept at night, even with the pills they had given her, because of the nightmares. And there was a part of the garden the still didn't get herself very close to because when she did, she saw perfectly well her mother's bleeding body. Chloe, on the other side, even if she had moments were she would start crying at a sudden memory, or get anxious over certain things, sleep through the night almost always. Jesse and Aubrey had showed some PTSD already too, and sometimes Jesse's bullet scar still hurt because of his pure mind, but between the four of them and a psychologist, they were holding up pretty good.

Beca was the one that wanted to talk about it the least. Chloe had forgotten everything that happen with Etton since the blonde started kissing Beca to when she got up in the hospital the morning before Beca, because of her concussion, but Beca hadn't although she wanted to. Chloe did remember stabbing Etton, or Jackie's room, or Mungus Etton's body, but those were just some confusing memories in the middle of a dark hole of blankness. And though she had asked Beca many times, she knew Beca wasn't ready to talk about it.

So the brunette breathed deeply as she went to the fresh, but strangely not freezing garden, seeing a long table full of food and full of people. Chloe had explained them that Beca barely slept and that since she had fallen asleep a couple hours ago, she just wanted to let her sleep a bit longer. When she saw her, Chloe, who was putting a bottle of wine in the table -they couldn't drink because of their meds, but they wanted their friends to drink if they wanted- turned around and smiled widely running at Beca and kissing her full in the mouth. And Beca always had a hard time letting her go, so they made out for a bit.

"Did you sleep well?" Chloe asked breathless.

"Actually, yes. Sorry for the lack of help I'm being."

Chloe shook her head.

"I love you, and this wasn't a problem, all of them helped a lot. I just wanted you to rest." Chloe smiled, kissed her again, and took her to the table.

"Hi Beca" Angie came running with a huge smile and hugged her softly. Beca loved her secretary and considered her a close friend to the point that sometimes they would talk about work and she would forget that there were things that she needed to do as her boss, even more, she would forget the girl worked for her. Which leaded to jokes between them like if one time Angie would say that her boss made her work until late one day and Beca would say _what a jackass_ without thinking, and then would realize she was the boss and start laughing. And Beca loved having the Angeleno there, and being able to talk about how things were there, or work, a work that she loved and that she had been out of for almost two months "So, feeling better?"

"Yeah, you guys called the kids?"

"Yeah, my brother actually came to entertain them so they wouldn't be too bored with our parents" the woman smiled and they sat.

Beca didn't really have a boss. As a DJ, she had met many good Djs and music producers in her life, and one day one music producer had offered the amazing job she had now, but he wasn't her boss. They were just a corporation of friends that were in the music world and had a few floors of their building for themselves and each did different things -some were musicians, others disk jockeys, others only producers- and they taught each other a bit of their thing, had a team of people they personally hired to help them out, and worked together to produce or create music, and made a name on their own. It was like a lawyers firm, but better, and they were all good friends. There were the Djs, Beca, Colin Marshall and Jenna Camp, the musicians, Harriet Hopkins, Louis Dickson, Juliette Gowan, and Timothy Creevey, and the music producers, Kenneth Rowan -with whom Beca slept once-, Fabian Garrett, Troian Alan, and Zola Bargston, although Beca was also a producer, but it was common that a lot of the eleven friends were in more than once thing. They had their own team work and worked in separated ways, separated zones, and got together sometimes as friends and business mates. But Beca was the closest with her own secretary, and her own interns and apprentices.

They were in a rectangular wide table that Beca remembered being often used for big family dinners, because being that wide, feet never touched with the ones of the person in front of you, and food could be comfortably put anywhere. In one extreme of the table, Jesse was sit. In the other, Flo and Stacie. In the sides, from Jesse to Flo there were Aubrey, Chloe, Beca, Angie, and Amy, and from Jesse to Stacie there were Benji, Emily, Jessica, Fat Amy and Cynthia Rose. To avoid confusion, they were calling Amy, Amanda, and Fat Amy, Amy.

"So, Roger's been calling nonstop ever since you left. He says you won't open your door, nor take his calls, or messages, and that he hit you and yelled at you at it's worrying him. Back then, I told them to fuck off and that if I heard any complain from you, I'll call the police and get him a free night in a cell" Angie commented with a smile after a while "and ever since it all leaked to the press and the whole America knows almost everything, he came back like a mosquito. Your father and I made sure he left Portland the other day, and I've talked with the Team in LA -she was talking about Beca's ten work mates- and they know they have to kick his ass if they ever see him."

"Did you tell him that I'm seeing someone? And that it's a girl?" Beca asked amused.

"No, I said nothing about you, your life, your love life, or where or how you were, or anything really. I though if he hadn't treated you so wrong, he would maybe deserve a _back off and let her be, she's okay_ , but... for me, he can drown in his crap" Angela said.

"Well done" Beca smiled "And thank you. Whenever I'm back, I'll make sure to tell him a couple things, with the new bravery that comes from actually killing someone." She said determined.

"Don't worry, but just to be informed, when are you coming back?"

"I don't know, but I guess it can't take me more than a month or so, before some people start filling some complaints I can't afford having" Beca answered. The table was full of small talk, ones talked with the ones in their sides, or in front of them, here and there was small talk, but slowly people was starting to get interested in their conversation.

"I guess it would be cool for you to take some vacations after all this crap" said Angie "I can take care of everything in the meantime."

"You know what? When you go back there, just send a mail to my clients and tell them I'm working on their things, and that I'll be back in three weeks tops, and once you do that, you can take a holiday. You deserve it, go be with your family" Beca said with a tiny smile "Plus, you brought my laptop here, so now I can finish some things from time to time."

"That means we're going to LA soon?" Chloe intervened.

"No, no" Beca shook her head "I love when you come to visit, but right now LA is going to be the death of me, and I bet I can't even get into my apartment without passing an army of paparazzi. If you can fix it with work, we are going on a trip, as far away as possible, Europe maybe, far from all this craziness, and then you'll go back to Atlanta, and I'll go to LA for a couple days to fix everything up, and join you soon after. And we'll see where we wanna go from there, and wherever we go I can just work from home and go back to LA a couple times a week to meetings and staff. It'll be great, trust me." Beca smiled warmly and so did Chloe, giving her a kiss on the lips "And please Angie, before you take your vacations, leave a note on my table with everything I should now when I'm back written in Dummy language." She added jokingly and Angie laughed nodding.

"Always boss!"

"And Emily I promise yours are the first works I'm working on" Beca added looking at the brunette, who just smiled.

"Don't worry, I told you I'm working in other songs to add and make an album or something, with your vacations I'll have time to finish them."

"And they're pretty good, let me tell you" Benji added and Emily kissed him smiling.

"This is nice" commented Cynthia Rose after a while "we all together here, aca-children being made, and the other Bellas that couldn't come are sending a bunch of text through our Bellas' Whatsapp Group. It's nice, I've missed these things. It's a shame that we reunited in such a horrible events, though..."

"Yeah, you're right" conceded Beca "but don't worry about the crap that brought us together for dinner tonight. I mean..." she sighed, shrugging "The bitch is dead. And I've learned to never, ever, not even drunk, get any close to anyone whose identity I can't confirm. I just need my arm back fully recovered to have my mood improved."

"Well, you know what the doctor said" commented Aubrey.

"I know, a year, but honestly, only four months and I'll be happy just with not having the cast anymore. Like, being able to dress properly."

"You're not gonna be so happy, trust me. If it hurts right now, just wait." Aubrey said, not wanting her friend to get too disappointed.

"Why? It will be pretty healed, won't it?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah but..." Aubrey sighed "Mind makes good pranks creating false pain, we all know. And then, the bone will have to get used to being moved again after months paralyzed, and so will the muscles, and tissue and everything, and that, for what I've studied, hurts like a bitch. Fortunately, you've got pretty good painkillers." She added looking at Beca, who looked pretty defeated.

"God, I knew I should've killed her slowly, she got a pretty undeserved quick death." Beca murmured.

"You gave her that death for three very good reasons" Chloe said "firstly, we wanted her dead and couldn't wait, secondly, we were drained and tired and needed medical attention, and thirdly and most importantly, you are much better human being that she could never be, you weren't going to torture her even if you could."

"Yeah, I guess you're right" Beca shrugged with the one shoulder she could move and served herself more salad.

"I don't want to intrude or cross any lines" Stacie started "but was the place has horrible as the news put it?"

"I wouldn't know, I barely remember. But the few things I do remember... yeah, the place smelled like... blood? And the room were we fought was disgusting and full of... tools and staff. And blood, a lot of it" Chloe answered knowing that Beca had been avoiding talking about it since she woke up, even if Chloe hoped she at least were opening with her therapist.

Everyone flinched a little and made disgusting faces except Beca, who calmly let some potatoes into her mouth.

"You're lucky you've lost part of the memories, and the ones you've got are confusing" she said so calm that she could easily be talking about the weather.

"Maybe, but I'm also pretty confused with the ones I do have, and quite frustrated with the blank hole in my mind" the ginger confused. She had tried Beca to open up to her more than once, and though she new that maybe she was better off not knowing, and that it wasn't okay to push the brunette, she couldn't help feeling frustrated and wanting to know the whole story, or how Beca got that many cuts, or how she herself got her head smashed. She wanted it all to make some sense, so she could speak with her therapist without it being a bunch of more questions and more nonsense. "If you could just talk to me..."

"Yeah, but I can't" Beca said in a frustrated whisper.

"But Beca!" Chloe tried to be gentle even frustrated "The last thing I remember is you tied up, the bitch kissing you, and me tied doing nothing, and then suddenly we are stabbing her, and then some flashes of a room I somehow now it's were they kept Jackie, and a dead man in the ground who everybody says it's the brother, and then I'm in the hospital. I also don't know where those cuts of yours came from, or how did my head ended up crushed. You've got any idea how frustrating that is for me?"

"I know baby, I get it. But you are trying to find explanations, to put some sense in the whole mess, and you don't realize that even if you did remember, it would still be a complete nonsense, and a bunch of hows and whys" Beca replied trying to stay calm "I'm trying to save you the pain of knowing, of remembering the horrible things the woman told us she and her sick brother did, and trying to keep your nights as calm as possible, praying for your subconscious not to bring anything back in your sleep as mine does! And all you do is insist in knowing things I wish I forgot!"

They looked at each other in silence, the whole table looking at them with certain curiosity but enough modals to avoid staring.

"I get them too" Chloe said then "the nightmares, I have them too sometimes. But since I can't remember, most of the time I don't know where they come from, or if are things that happened or that my imagination creates, and that makes me more confused, and makes me scared of the possibility of those being real things. The only differences between your nightmares and mines, are that yours are more graphic, and longer I believe, and that when you wake up you do remember where they come from and get more scared, while I just stay confused for a while, calm down and go back to sleep. You never go back to sleep if it isn't with the pills." She spoke softly and in a lower voice.

"You freed yourself" said Beca after being in silence for a while, and people looked at her, but she didn't care because she trusted each of them, she would put her life in their hands, and she knew they wanted to now too, to understand her and help her, and she figured that maybe if she just talked there, there wouldn't be more questions.

"I did?" Chloe asked, and Beca nodded.

"Yeah, with a knife you somehow took with your feet from the ground. The reason Etton was kissing me was because she wanted to rape me, and I figured if I could just keep her busy, you would have time to free yourself, and then come and help me" Beca said, her eyes fixed in one of the candles they had put in the table "You... you tried to strangle her, and then you stabbed her, that's how it happened. And you cut one of my ropes, and gave me the knife so I could free myself while you took care of Etton."

"So I didn't sat doing nothing?" Chloe said, relieved, stroking her girlfriend's knee with a hand.

"No, you didn't. You were amazing, impressive" Beca said and a tiny smile appeared on her face as she looked at her, and Chloe returned the smile "you guys should've seen her, I had no idea the lion wasn't only in the red hair... you punched her, quite hard. I wasn't paying as much attention because I was cutting my ropes, but I could hear. And then..." she got a bit paler and Chloe caressed her chin in encouragement "then she hit you with a bar. That's how your head got hurt. I heard you collapse and when I looked, you were in the ground, blood in your head, and I... I couldn't tell if you were alive or not." Her eyes were getting wet, staring at her insides and Chloe sighed kissing her forehead.

"It's okay, you can just talk to me another day. I'm okay now, it'll be fine" Chloe said understanding how hurt the girl actually was, but Beca shook her head and straightened in her chair, taking a sip of water.

"No, if I stop now, I won't be able to tell you ever. Just promise you won't ask anymore."

"I promise."

Beca nodded and breathed deeply.

"I had the last rope almost entirely cut, to free my ankle, so when Etton came for me, I just pulled really hard to break the rope, and kicked her in the face. I thought maybe you were dead, I was almost entirely sure, and I guess I got really angry, because we started fighting like crazy, and then she kicked me off her with her feet, and I hurt myself with the ground, and got paralyzed for a second" she explained "she took advantage, obviously, and got over me, and started kissing and... took a hammer and broke my arm. And then the cuts, she was making then right then, and I was so blinded by the pain I couldn't bring myself to push her away, and then I heard a loud noise and the monster was motionless in the ground beside me, and you were standing in front of me with a bar." She smiled at the memory and Chloe did too.

"Wow, gingers are scary" Jesse said jokingly to break the ice and some laughed a bit, even Beca's smile widened as she nodded.

"Was then when you killed her? I remember my head hurt a lot when it happened, and I remember you in the ground. But it's blurry" Chloe said, and Beca nodded.

"Yeah, you realized you were in charge, somehow. And put this big knife in my hand, and told me to _end her_ , and so I did. She took a long time to die, though. And then we just... we sat there, and suddenly you were stabilizing my arm with some ropes or something, and telling me to get up and go, and we took Jackie's bag and went to the car" from then on, words seemed to come easily "And then I told you I didn't quite saw myself driving all the way, and you kept encouraging me to do it because you were about to pass out, told me to keep going for as long as possible, and to _park nicely_ when I couldn't keep going, and you sent Harmon a pic of the GPS image. She called me a bit after you passed out, and I parked and she got me entertained while she came. If things went as she told me they were supposed to, she came ten minutes after I passed out, put us on a helicopter, and carried us back to Portland's Hospital." Chloe smiled and kissed her deeply.

"Thank you."

"You won't feel that thankful when you wake up tonight and see yourself waking up in the car and a zombie version of that whore knocking at the door." Chloe stopped her laugh when she saw Beca was actually serious.

"That's what you dream with?"

"I did, I few nights ago... it's just... you know, knowing you are going to pass out, and leave yourself and the love of your life helpless in the middle of a road, and start questioning whether she was really dead or no, of somebody else would come before Harmon and whatever... And you know I used to love scary stories and even movies if they were terror movies, and used to laugh with them, but imagine having a mix of Carrie or The Exorcist with all this at night. It's not fucking funny."

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry" Chloe thanked silently the noise that little by little was starting to fill the table and leaned in to kiss her again "come here. We'll be back in a sec guys."

Chloe could feel Beca about to cry and took her to the side of the garden, to the exact point they were when Sarah was shot.

"Chloe, no!" Beca refused.

"Listen to me. Listen, to, me" Chloe said calmly taking her out-of-the-cast hand, and putting her own other free hand in the brunette's shoulder as she cried softly "Firstly, this fear for this piece of garden? Stop it, Beca. I know it's really hard, and I do understand it, but the bitch already took away from you too many things, and she's not taking your garden or your house. I bet you had good memories here, so... just try and think about them, instead of the one horrible you have. I'm here with you, nothing's gonna happen." She kissed the brunette's forehead "And secondly... I know your nightmares aren't funny. I'm sorry I made you talk about it, but I do think talking about it it's something good for you, and for me too, somehow. I know you used to make fun of too many scary movies while those would scare the shit out of me, and I guess it's normal that now your memories mix with movies, and even with the news, but don't think I take it less seriously than you. I take them seriously, and I need you to talk about me whenever they happen, because I really want to help you. I don't make you talk because I get any kind of reward for it, but because I believe it's good for you, you know that?" Beca nodded.

"But it's fucking hard" Beca muttered "It's fucking hard to talk about anything, because most of the time, I barely feel sightly better afterward, but I do feel like I bother you guys, and that that's wrong, and that maybe I should've shut the fuck up, you know? And at the same time, if I talk about it, and it makes sense, and nobody laughs and it's like, _what the hell are you talking about Beca?_ , then, it feels real. And that scares me, because I don't want it to be real. But if it is, I want to feel that people understand and take it seriously, not just get stupid sad stares and any help or feeling of understanding."

"Aren't you feeling understood, and loved?" Chloe inquired.

"Here, yes. But not even always. I guess it's just my mind telling lies to myself, and that it isn't really how it sometimes looks."

"It... we love you. We want to understand, and sometimes, it's really hard, but we are trying. I am trying. And in the meantime, you just need to know that we love you, and that maybe we can't know what you need to hear, but we're always up for a hug." Chloe smiled softly and Beca couldn't keep herself from smiling back.

"I'm gonna try my best, okay? And... the same goes to this place. I'm trying, but pushing me is wrong."

"I know, I regretted it just after saying it. I'm sorry."

Beca shook her head.

"Nah, if you weren't tough with me from time to time, I wouldn't push myself to get better. I'll just keep trying to come here and not see blood and death."

The rest of the dinner went pretty smoothly and fun, and Beca found herself really enjoying it, and when it started to get really cold, they got to the couches inside, Beca sat cuddled against Chloe, took her painkillers, and accepted a mug of hot chocolate Jesse and Amanda had been preparing to everyone. She felt happy, for once in a long time. But she had this memory that kept bugging her, and that she hadn't talked to absolutely anyone about, and she was starting to get into her own thoughts and pay less attention to the rest, and they were starting to notice.

"You know shorty, you really need tequila, so it's a shame you can't drink. What's currently bugging you?" the Aussie said with her accent, and Beca smiled.

"You want to talk about it in private?" Chloe asked seeing that the brunette shook her head but kept being absent.

"There's no need, I trust everyone here" Beca whispered "I'm just... figuring out if I'm ready to talk about it. It's quite a bomb, even more for the mummies or future mummies..."

"If it's about Jackie..." Amanda started "if it helps you, I will just call my little monsters right after, you can talk."

"Actually, it is about him. It's about something Etton told us... you don't remember, babe?" she added, looking at Chloe, who shook her head.

"Even if it happened when I was tied up and you know, the part I do remember, I don't remember what you were talking about with her. It's like I remember your lips moving, but my brain kind of shut the sound off."

Beca nodded slowly.

"She told you what she did, right?" Cynthia asked, and Beca nodded exactly "Fucking bitch..."

"This is about the letter?" Jesse asked and as he saw confused looks from most of them, he explained himself "the monster send Beca a horrible letter so she could blame herself and feel like crap." There were a general amount of whispers of curse words.

"It's... part of it yeah, most of it, no." Beca said "It's something really, really hard to hear, and I don't want to traumatize you guys."

"Hey, this is for you, we'd do anything" Emily said.

"Yeah, talk shorty" Amy said. Some others nodded.

"We'll find a good psycho if needed" Benji joked.

"Okay..." Beca straightened up in the couch and leaned forward after removing her jacket, that was making her too warm now that they were inside with a fire flaming in the fireplace. Then she breathed deeply "When Chloe and I were there, and Chloe was tied, and I was trying to gain time for the police to come before the bitch raped me, because she got me tied up in a table, I started making questions whose answers I really didn't want, but we needed time, and I couldn't think of other staff in that moment. We were in this... big room, with a few tables, like the ones vets have, some of them full of dried blood. There was blood in the ground, in the walls... there were torture tools like from a butcher's shop, and also hammers and saws and staff like that, most of them with blood stains" she looked from her chocolate mug to their faces, seeing that some of them had closed their eyes, others had anger in their faces, others seemed speechless... a bit of everything "So, I went and asked how did she do it to be in so many places so quickly. And she used the question to also give me some extra info to make us feel worse. Like... god, this is tough..."

"Just keep going, it's over now" Chloe took her hand and intertwined their fingers "you can do this."

Beca nodded.

"Cressida Etton talked to me, to us, about how Jackie screamed so much when she tortured that she decided to firstly rip off his tongue, but he kept making weird noises while she cut his fingers until he passed out. He also talked to me about his... his penis..." she sniffled "She told me this in a letter, actually, and that then, she cut him from neck to the waist, so deep his organs just came out... And back there in that room, she told me she made my brother watch her torture and dismember his wife, and then she did the same to him. She talked about how it always took long for my family members to pass out, how they keep asking for help, and the bitch kept saying to me that it was all my fault. She explained how she kidnapped Jackie, and kept him in a small, totally dark room for a day until eventually she kidnapped his parents, took them to were we were fast, pulled them there in a table and tied Jackie close, and dismembered them as he watched, and then took Jackie to his room" Beca tried to talk quickly but her voice was starting to break "She talked about how she sat with Jackie and her brother later that night in Jackie's dark room, covered him in gasoline, turned a match on, and keep it in her hand so he could call me, but not say a thing, because she'll set him on fire. And he had just seen his parents die, and that was the night he talked to me on the phone. She told us all of that" she didn't dare to look at anyone "And she talked between laughs, with this voice of someone who's talking about their trip to the amusement park, you know? Careless, casual, even with a tone of comedy, and she was... she was the cheeriest I've seen anyone in forever, so happy and completed, like if she just made her dreams come true. And that... kills me. Even more because I can imagine them perfectly, and I do at nights, and she couldn't show more disrespect even if she wanted."

She could feel Chloe's hand holding hers tight, and there was a moment of absolute silence. And then she felt brave enough to look up. All of them were sitting either in the sofas or in the carpet. First she looked at Chloe, who was looking at their intertwined hands, and a silent tear went down her cheek. Besides her, Aubrey had her hands over her belly, her eyes lost, and Jesse had his closed and an arm over Aubrey's shoulders. Angela and Amanda looked disgusted to say the least, and really angry. Emily looked shocked, and her eyes wet, and Benji was half hugging her, also looking shocked and angry, and the rest were just a mix of anger, sadness, and something Beca couldn't quite put a name on.

"Well, she has officially become the most hated, disgusting, crazy, person I can think of" Benji finally said.

"I don't even have words to describe how terrible she was and how much I hate her" Flo added.

"What would I give to set the bitch on fire" Amanda murmured angrily between teeth.

"Son of a bitch" murmured Fat Amy.

Little by little, disapproving and angry murmurs started to emerge, people getting angry and frustrated with a situation they couldn't help. Maybe the worst was that feeling of powerless.

"Beca" Chloe squeezed her hand gently and Beca stared at her. The ginger still had wet eyes but wasn't crying anymore "I'm so sorry, I don't even know how I forgot."

"Don't worry, you were hit pretty hard" Beca smiled softly. Not that she felt like smiling, but Chloe was Chloe and for her, she'd do anything.

"I just wanted to say... that I'm here, 'kay? And that... god, that I can't express how much of a terrible person, a bitch, a whore, an asshole, slut..." Chloe really wasn't used to cursing and that was noticeable "a utter despicable monster the bitch will ever be. I know we can't undo anything but, I'm happy we kicked her ass, she had it well-deserved, and I think that somehow compensates something, the fact that justice was made, and revenge is not always the solution but in this case, I hope it makes you feel any better. And I just want to do anything for you. Anything. So whatever you want to say, or feel, or do... just I'm here, 'kay?"

"I know, and yeah, it makes me feel a bit better" Beca pushed her lips to form a tiny smile.

"It's not your fault" Chloe added, and Beca nodded "thank you for letting your walls down for awhile."

"Thank you for showing me I needed to. For caring" Beca replied.

"I will always care about you. I just can't stop" Chloe smiled and leaned to put a kiss on her cheek and give her a slow, deep, make out, that was full with so much love words were left over. That's how somehow, people started to calm down, just looking at them and thinking yeah, something horrible happened, yeah, it was unforgettable and unforgivable, but it was somehow okay, and it wasn't worth getting upset over something they couldn't fix. They needed to find a way to be okay with it, in a way that they accepted something terrible happened and they couldn't to anything about it, and then move on because they could do other things.

The kiss stopped and Beca's heart almost did too when instead of pulling out, Chloe kept her forehead supported on Beca's, just looking their eyes together, those piercing blue balls, as the ginger gave her one of her most amazing smiles.

"I'm in love with you" Beca whispered.

"I'm more in love with you" Chloe argued.

"Missing competitions, uh?" Beca joked and Chloe giggled and shrugged "But I still love you more" Beca added, this time moving her, her hand cupping the other one's cheek and pulling in for a kiss.

The night kept going, any of them really tired, after waking up quite late -well, except Beca, who had woken up really early, like Jesse, both of them after some nightmares, and their girlfriends, who had decided to make them company- but the four of them who weren't that awake started being with the adrenaline and excitement of being all together again. After the hot chocolate it wasn't really that late, so they just kept talking and enjoying the time, sometimes singing some old songs and things like that.

"Aw" Emily muttered at one point, pointing at Beca. The shorter girl had experienced some arm pains and after taking her painkillers, had fallen asleep cuddled against Chloe, who, unconsciously, had been drawing circles in her back with a finger.

"Shorty needs a good dose of morphine" joked Amy and Chloe giggled, and the ever so soft movement of her chest with the giggles made Beca uncomfortable, which resulted in a grumpy and sleepy sound like _mrrmm_ and Chloe noticed and hugged her girlfriend tighter. After a moment, Beca's facial expression relaxed, her healthy arm's hand had been gripping the ginger's sweater and the grip relaxed too. She was supported in the Chloe smashing her healthy arm between them, so the broken one wouldn't hurt so much, and her face was buried in Chloe's neck.

"Someone's gonna have to sleep in the couch if shorty keeps being so bossy" Cynthia joked giggling, and some others laughed a bit.

"I wouldn't mind... much" Chloe said supporting her cheek on the brunette's head, and some of them giggled.

"So, how did it happen?" asked Angie motioning towards them "you guys only said that you were together in the hospital."

"Well, one day we had to go uhm... to her brother's house, you know, pack things up, so they could sell the house or something, and Beca didn't want her parents to have to do it, so she went, and we helped her. And it was really, really tough, so, well, we've been sleeping both in her bed since I came because of some sort of problem with lack of comfortable beds, so I was with her, and she really couldn't sleep" she explained, and Aubrey and Jesse exchanged curious looks with the brand new information.

"Don't tell me you thought having sex was the answer" Amanda muttered and Chloe blushed.

"Of course not, it wasn't like that. Just, she was worried, and I was too, and we were pretty freaked out, so we started talking and, it's not like we said _I'm in love with you_ but more like _I care too much about you_. And somehow it was there, and we knew, but I told her not to say anything about it, because it didn't seem right, but I made sure she knew whatever she felt, I felt it back" she shrugged looking at the sleeping girl in her arms, tracing circles in the palm of the hand that was gripping softly her sweater, and kissing her forehead "Next day, we buried everyone, and she seemed somehow better, and the next day she was definitely in a better mood, and took me on a date to some amazing falls that they have here. And it turns out, the badass DJ Mitchell it's really a badass, and took me to do rifting, and at the end, we were, uhm, you know, in the boat..." she blushed at the memory "and we talked, and we kissed. And then we talked more, and kissed more, and decided not to tell anybody because it didn't feel proper to go to her parents like _hey, we are together_ after all that was happening. In fact, these two dorks caught us shortly after at Jesse's birthday because they don't really now how to knock" she laughed, remembering that because Aubrey didn't knocked, she caught them kissing, and because Jesse didn't knocked either, he almost caught them having sex. In fact, the couple was blushing right now, and the others noticed.

"Oh my god, you did not caught them having sex" Emily almost yelled and Jesse blushed harder.

"I've been told I did" Jesse answered, and they laughed "but it was so dark, and I didn't opened the door that much, fortunately, so I didn't really saw anything. But Beca did told me it was about to be her turn" they laughed harder and Chloe had a really hard time trying not to wake Beca up.

"Thanks god I only caught them kissing" Aubrey said between laughs.

"Who knew, our little badass it's actually romantic" commented Jessica, and they stopped laughing remembering they were making too much noise, and looking at the little badass, who was, actually, pretty asleep.

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 **What do you think, was it good enough? Now you know what to do, review, MP or anything you want, and massive THANKS to everyone who already did it, and also if you have any idea for the sequel, as always, you can tell me.**


	16. Chapter 16

**I realized there was a mistake with the ages, as I counted that in the end of PP2 Beca was 21, when in reality, the movie ended like a few months before her 22 birthday (if we pick the birthday month I picked for her, but she would turn 22 sometime that year either.) So to avoid further mistakes, I've made a table with made up birthdays, calculating the years very carefully using the movies. So here you go:**

 **Beca (9/Aug/1993), Chloe (9/March/1990), Jesse (4/Oct/1993), Aubrey (12/Sep/1990), Alan M. (1961), Sarah Baker (1961-16/Oct/2018), Joseph M. (1988-21/Sep/2018), Kendra M. (1988-21/Sep/2018), Jack M. (17/July/2016-22/Sep/2018), Sheila M. (1978), Addison M. (June 2015), Emily (1996), Benji (1993). And Stacie, Cynthia-Rose, Fat Amy and all the other Bellas from Beca's year (1993). The story is developed in 2018. The sequel will be 2019-2020. The third part if I ever write it (if you want and all that) would be around 2024-2025 or something around that. I've tried to correct the whole amount of age mistakes around the fic, but if you see something weird, use this as a guide :) [Yeah, I'm a perfectionist and also a dumbass who requires everything to be dated perfectly.]**

 **Also, _this chapter deals with PSTD_ (Post Traumatic Stress Dissorder) so be careful.**

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Chapter 16: Drowning.

A loud scream awoke Beca suddenly. She looked around, confused, and the first time she noticed was that she was tied up against a wall. She looked to her side and her heart skipped a beat seeing Jackie tied up beside her, crying and screaming like if his life depended on it.

"Jackie" she whispered "Jackie!"

"This is your fault, look what you've done!" she looked up and saw her brother, Joseph, tied to a wall but more far away from them, crying, and screaming at her with an anger she had never seen in his eyes. And then another scream full of pain took her attention towards a woman, Kendra, that was tied in a bed, and a tall woman was cutting her belly, and the organs were falling, but the woman kept screaming, totally conscious, and her screams joined her husband and son's.

And Beca found herself crying miserably, or screaming, or everything, and praying for the woman to pass out, but she just kept being awake. And then suddenly the killer was ripping her brother's throat, and blood was everywhere, and the killer laughed, and Jackie and her cried and screamed, and Kendra, organs in the ground, kept screaming and crying. There was a flash forward, and Beca saw pieces on the ground of bones, hands, just shattered bodies, and then Jackie was screaming again, and when she looked up, she saw the killer was carrying out of the room, but she was still tied, so she screamed and begged for her to let him go. Then, the killer laughed, turned around to look at Beca, and Beca stopped breathing. It was Chloe.

Beca woke up in her bed, covered in sweat, crying, screaming, and not really being conscious of what she was doing, but her chest hurt, her arm was killing her, and she couldn't breath, and someone was taking her shoulders and trying to comfort her with a sweet voice, and when she looked up, and saw Chloe, she had a flash of Chloe smiling sadistic at her, with Jackie in her arms, and she screamed strongly.

"LET ME GO!" Chloe looked in shock and Beca pushed her against the bed, and ran out of the bedroom, almost crashing against Jesse and Aubrey in the corridor, who tried to catch her calling her and asking what was wrong, but she just kept running, her heart beating furiously, adrenaline keeping her running, tears running down her cheeks, and feeling immense pain everywhere, and confusion.

She ran faster than ever in her life, ignoring everywhere, taking her coat from the entry's hangers -because she was in her pajama and barefoot- along with her mother's car keys from a small basket that was in the entry with all the keys, and running towards the only car they had, her mothers, now that the police had gone. She pulled the engine on and started driving as fast as she could, as far away as the gasoline let her.

Finally, the I can't breath feeling wouldn't go away, forcing her to park in a side of the road, as hidden between some trees as she could, and started walking around, into the field, aimlessly, just crying and trying to calm herself down because she felt she was going to pass out, and she was in so much pain, and she couldn't breath nor think clear. She let her ass fall on a rock next to a stream, and looking at her feet, she saw that they were full of soil from running through the field barefoot. She thought about calling someone, but realized her cellphone, along with her wallet with her ID inside and her money, were in her nightstand, and the only thing she had were the car keys, and fortunately in the same key-ring, the house's keys.

So she sat there, pulling her feet into the water, and slowly relaxing, trying to breath deeply, as her therapist had shown her after having a panic attack while talking with her.

"What the hell" she whispered, her pain less strong, her eyes looking up from her feet to see the sky. It should be like eight in the morning or something around that. She had fucked up, and she knew it, and would have to do the walk of shame if she could ever look at her girlfriend again. She was sweating less and less, and was starting to think clearly. Firstly, it was all a horrible nightmare, and she really wasn't there when it happened, and probably Kendra was unconscious at the first cut, she had a low pain tolerance, not like her husband and son, so it wasn't real. Secondly, there was no way in hell Chloe had anything to do with any of that. Deep inside, she knew, she knew that night Chloe had been sleeping peacefully in Atlanta, Georgia, and not anywhere near Portland, that's why she had been the first one to arrive LA.

She knew Chloe wouldn't hurt a fly, the girl cried at the sole idea of a puppy being hurt, she wouldn't even kill a spider, no matter how possibly poisonous it was. But still, the image was in her eyes, and she couldn't stop it. So she decided to just calm herself and pace around until she could be courageous enough to go back home.

Chloe, Jesse and Aubrey had called Cynthia Rose and Stacie, to help them see if they could find Beca, using a rented car. But they had any success, and, not knowing what else to do, Stacie told them to just wait at home. Two hours after Beca had stormed out of the house, Aubrey, Chloe, Jesse and the rest of the gang except Flo, who had drunk too much the night before, and Amanda, who kind of the same, were sitting in Beca's childhood home's couch, looking defeated after having been looking for her for two hours straight. They were worried sick, and Chloe had told them before waking up, Beca had been revolving in her sleep, yelling and crying, and that she had said Chloe's name in whispers many times.

Then suddenly the door opened, but they didn't moved, just stared at the direction, because Beca couldn't go upstairs without being seen from there. Finally Beca appeared, looking tense, exhausted, and with her feet a bit scratched.

"God" Beca muttered looking at them. She had expected that, somehow, but even if she had planned what to say, she actually kept having no idea what to say. Chloe stood up and walked towards her, but before she could get too close, Beca gave a step back and rose her hand to stop it "Don't... please, just, don't" Chloe stopped immediately, looking confused, shocked, surprised, hurt and sad, her eyes wet. Beca hated herself, but as Chloe had approached her, Beca had had a flash of the evil Chloe in her dreams and couldn't help it "I'll... explain. Later, I swear, but right now... I can't take any of this... and I need you all to back off and let me in peace for like... a while? It's... unfair, I know, but..." she nodded for herself, Chloe moved to a side, and Beca went upstairs.

Chloe stood there in the verge of tears looking at them and Jesse got up and hugged her.

"It's okay Chlo, look, why don't you sit with Bree and I'll go, make a sandwich for Beca, and talk to her."

Chloe shook her head.

"Maybe I should just go try to talk to her... whatever's up, she was dreaming with me" Chloe said.

"Trust me, you are her girlfriend, but she's my best friend, and she was my girlfriend for three years and a half, and during that half, she lived in the same place. It's better if I go." "He said kindly.

"Jess, this isn't some kind of com..."

"I know it isn't, do you?" Jesse inquired, and sighed "Listen, you've always been her best friends. And she tells you a lot, but there are things that she won't ever let you see. One time, when she had been in LA for a couple months, there was a fight in her club while she worked at night, and she almost got hurt, but she told nobody. She disappeared for twelve hours, and by the time she got home, she shut herself out and nobody could get a word about it, I had to hear from her coworkers, and it took her three weeks to tell me herself. She just wanted to see movies and not think about it, and that's what we did."

"I... didn't know" Chloe admitted.

"Of course you didn't, nobody did. She wouldn't tell because there are things that are just too much to talk about it, but sometimes, you get her to do something else to distract herself, like watch a movie even if she hates them, and then, sometimes, she'll speak out. But going there and pushing her, that's not the right approach, because as we both know, she'll just shut everybody out."

"You're right" Chloe admitted "so, couldn't I just wait for a while and then come up?"

"No, because she's expecting that. She expects you to worry so much that you just have to talk to her, and you need to let her come to you like she said she would, because she doesn't know what to say, so she's just ready to pull her walls up. She's probably hungry, so we'll wait for a bit, and during our wait, I'll make a sandwich, and then I'll talk to her. She expects her girlfriend to ask, and as your girlfriend, she owns you some explanations, but she doesn't own any explanations to a best friend, so she won't have her walls up for me like she will for you."

Chloe nodded slowly and then tried to smile at him.

"You're right, how did you become an expert?"

"I guess I watch too many movies, or I just had to spend with her those difficult months of figuring things out in LA. Or maybe men think weirdly different" he joked, and winked at her "calm your tits down, it will all be fine, you'll see. Just give her time to figure herself out, she can't explain anything to you if she doesn't understand it first."

So they did at said, and fifteen minutes later, Jesse was knocking in Beca's bathroom door. Beca had removed her clothes and, as her bathroom didn't have the tube-shower the corridor's big bathroom had, but a small shower, she had just sat on the shower's ground, took the shower in her right arm, and gave herself a cold shower trying not to get her broken arm wet, removing the sling and leaving the arm in it's cast, supported against her body. She still couldn't quite move her left hand due to the broken humerus, that had left her whole arm numb and basically useless. She hadn't locked the door because she knew that after the last time, that would freak Chloe out, and just trusted that nobody would get in. Jesse, knowing that, knocked the door softly, but didn't try to open.

"Becs? Can I come in? I'm alone and I have a delicious sandwich" Beca smiled for herself. He would do the same back when they were a couple and she did similar staff, or just wasn't in a bad mood or in her period.

"Yeah, come in, it's open" although she was completely nude, she didn't care, and neither did Jesse, because they had each other's nudity memorized, and they were now best friends, and didn't care "hand me a towel, I'm getting cold and I don't want bread in my pussy" Beca asked and Jesse smiled leaving the plate in the sink, wrapping the girl in a towel, and then sitting beside her handing the plate to her, who started eating "god Jesse, I love you."

Jesse laughed.

"Me too. You remember how when we were a couple and lived in LA, sometimes we would fight and we would just go to different rooms for a while, and then one of us would make something to eat to the other one, and just sit, eat and watch netflix or play video games?"

"Yeah" Beca laughed "that's one of the things I always loved of you. One, men are just much less dramatic and if things are more complicated to us, you just made it so simple. And two, we were best friends before a couple, and we would just let our coupley things to a side if we needed our best friend in that moment."

"It was fun" Jesse admitted "also, you've been a lot like a dude all your life so..." Beca hit her with the sandwich softly and they laughed "I love that we found true love and still kept such a close friendship, like the siblings we never had."

Beca nodded smiling and looking at him, suddenly forgetting all the problems and worriment that she had been having five minutes ago. She had even vomited in the fields, but she would never admit it.

"And you remember when Benji came to visit before he lived in LA and we'll go to the club I worked, and just drink, dance and sing until five in the morning, just the three of us?"

"That was crazy fun" Jesse replied. The three have become a close trio, and they kept talking with Benji a lot, except lately, which Beca missed. Chloe and the girls were like sisters too, but Beca wasn't very feminine and found a kind of comfort between men that were just different. She loved Chloe more than anything, but still, she was never really her best friend, there was always more feelings there than she would admit, but Jesse was, and bestfriends were a huge part of her life, and sometimes, Chloe knew she needed Jesse "Almost forgot, here" he pulled a pill from his chest pocket and she took it. It was the painkiller she was supposed to take with her breakfast, and she really needed it.

After a while in silence, Beca finished her sandwich.

"So, aren't you going to give me the shrinks monologue and try to make me talk?" Beca asked supporting the side of her head on his shoulder.

"I would never" Jesse answered "but you're welcome to talk if you want."

"I freaked all of you a lot, right? I freaked out a lot myself" Beca said, and Jesse nodded "I... I would talk, Jess, but it's too much. I don't even know where to start, I'm so confused, I'm a mess and I don't understand any of what happened."

"Why don't you start telling me what were you dreaming?"

"I... I can't. I don't think I'll be able to talk about it with other than my therapist, and only because that one, I can't and shouldn't avoid. But I can tell you that it was the worst nightmare I've ever had, that it involved Etton and my family, and... and somehow, my mind put Chloe as the bad guy. That's why I pushed her when I woke up, and it's part of the reason why I've pushed her away downstairs, my eyes just keep seeing the evil her from my dream even if I know in my heart she's the sweetest, kindest, soul ever." She said all of this slowly, stopping sometimes to think what to say next, and Jesse nodded in midst understanding.

"I see" said Jesse "well, that's one resolved thing then. You had a terrible dream, in which Chloe seemed a bad person she is not, and freaked out and had a very understandable panic attack. Due to your sudden fear, you just wanted to put some distance and clear you mind, and that's what you did."

"Exactly" said Beca, feeling more understood and less of a mess "but then I came here, and just looking at her... it's like my eyes had a mind of their own."

"It's like PTSD. Like, I sometimes jump a bit when there's a loud noise? Like avoiding that piece of garden, that you do? Like this thing Aubrey does of never giving her back to the door because she's afraid of being attacked from behind, like when Chloe hasn't cut anything that bleed in the kitchen since she came home, because she saw pieces of humans instead of food... everybody will understand that. Somehow, it is PTSD." Jesse explained, and Beca kept in silence, thoughtful "I was kind of freaked out to be in a car today looking for you. I freak out a bit every time I have to, and Chloe does a bit too. We just get anxious looking from the road in front of us to each other, and try to reassure each other with our eyes that we aren't going to crash against anything and get kidnapped. What I mean is, she knows about this, and both of you will have to get used to having to deal with this staff quite often for a while."

"I know, but still I cannot tell her. She will feel guilty." Jesse nodded giving her the reason "If I could just... know what to tell them. Like, you come here and we talk, and it's okay, but with them, I can't just talk like these, they need explanations, and women worry twice as much, and I should apologize."

"Then, go, apologize, tell them you had a panic attack due to a bad dream, and that you needed some time to figure things out, but that you are on it, and that you'll speak with your therapist and they don't have to worry so much. Tell them there are staff you can't talk about with them, and that you're sorry but you can't help it."

Beca nodded slowly and pulled him in for a hug.

"What would I do without you, dude" she said against his chest.

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 **You love me? you wanna slap my face? you wanna tell me how much you liked or hated my story before the sequel? REVIEW ME :D**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone! I'm posting this chapter early today, my second day as a freshmen in college, because I wanted to let you know about the story of seventeen year old Meg, an English girl whose heartbreaking story is right here /story if you wanna read it. Well the thing is, she need this very expensive treatments and surgery to keep living, so she has two ways, one, we all donate whatever we can, and two, we go to her blogs (see the link I gave, all the info is in that web too) and click the adds and keep them open for a while, and it will give her some money. Guys, I don't know your lives and struggles, you don't know mine, but her story reached me very deeply and I contacted her, haven't received an answer yet even if it's been days, but I hope she's alright, and I did whatever I could, so even if you can't donate a thing or don't know how the adds thing works, she has an ask there in her web and you can just contact her, offer your support or ask her what can you do from where you live. It would mean so much to me if you took interest on her.**

 **Now, here you have chapter 17 of 18 of this fic, I hope you like the end, I hope you don't hate me with the super long sequel (right now has 27 chaps and there is still too much to tell) because I developed some wrist pains while writing (bad keyboard posture and I also play piano so sometimes it just happens) and also some insomnia, which is because I got too addicted to writing, but anyway at some points I'm just rambling writing and some chapters maybe you hate. Please leave reviews, now that this one is almost done I really wanna know your thoughts.**

 **REMEMBER THAT WITH 51 FOLLOWERS, I'M NOT KIDDIN' WHEN I SAY NO LAST CHAPTER AND SEQUEL WITHOUT A PROPER AMOUNT OF REVIEWS.**

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Chapter 17: Moving on.

Ten minutes later, after helping her get dressed and calmed, he leaded them both towards the living room.

"DJ badass is here and she would like to tell y'all a little something" he announced as they approached the sofas, were everyone was still sitting, and he himself sat with Aubrey. Beca breathed deeply, staying on her feet.

"I'm so sorry for worrying you all so much, really" Beca said slowly "I... I wish I could just drop a very good explanation and promise it won't happen again, but I can't. Because it will probably keep happening and everything I can do is try to get better at calming myself faster, and everything you can do is try not to get so anxious and just give me time. Today I had a really, really bad dream, that game me a really, really bad panic attack, and I just had to go and keep it to myself until I knew what to think or what to tell you guys" she explained as calm as she could "I didn't have myself very figured out so I couldn't really talk to you, but now I'm good enough to talk. But still, I can't and won't say a word about my dream, for two reasons, one, my therapist is the one that should hear about it, and two, hearing it will freak you out too much, and would probably get me in a bad place again, so... I'm not going to pretend like nothing happened, but I'm asking you to, and just believe that I know what I'm doing, and I know you are all there for me, and that if I need to, I will just take one of you and talk. I can deal with myself, and I won't do it alone because I see my therapist four times per week so... just trust him?" she shifted the weight between her feet uncomfortably. She had gotten a male therapist, which she at first hated and now it was fine because she tried to imagine it was a brother of Jesse's or something, and Chloe had a female one, which Chloe loved, too.

"Why did you push me away like that?" Chloe asked softly in a bare whisper, looking at her knees while she was sitting on one extreme of one of the sofas. She was visibly upset and Aubrey had an arm around her shoulders. Beca walked a couple steps towards her, and sat in the ground beside the sofa and beside her, biting her lip.

"I'm the most sorry for that, babe" Beca said

"Don't _babe_ me, Beca" she said finally looking at her, but without a gram of anger "I heard you talk in your sleep, you said my name, repeatedly. So you have a terrible dream, that I'm sure involved me, but you won't tell me anything about it, so I can't understand why you are so afraid of me. Does it seems anywhere near fair to you?"

"No, it doesn't" Beca pushed herself to reach her hand to squeeze one of Chloe's, and when she looked at her in those pure, beautiful eyes, full of hurt and love, not even the image of her in her dream flashing for a second in her eyes could push her away "You were the bad guy in my dream, honey. That's why I pushed you away, because even if I know you are a true angel, even more to me, the image just kept flashing in my eyes, because it was too fresh." She said gently "Trust me, that's all you need to know about my dream, if I could say more, I would, you know I'll tell you everything, and if I'm keeping this, is not because I don't trust you, or because I don't want to hurt you. Well, I don't want to hurt you, but in truth, the whole reason there are things I just don't talk about it is because for me, they are really realistic, and terrifying beyond belief, and just too hurtful for me to think about them, even more to voice them out. It's already scary and hurtful enough the fact that I'll have to tell them to the therapist, there's no need to go through that anymore."

Chloe nodded and bit her lip keeping a tear back.

"Does it keep flashing in your eyes?" she asked, her voice a bit broken, and Beca could feel her own eyes watering a little as she pressured her lips together and nodded, and with that, a tear went down the ginger's cheek.

"But it's fading away more and more each time. It's less real as time goes by" Beca whispered, and Chloe nodded.

"I just want to help you..." Beca smiled sadly.

"I know love, I know you want to. But it's like... like if I were a broken plate and you had glue for wood. As much as you try, even if you got mad and tried to force my pieces together, there's nothing you can do to help, more than just be there with me, and hope that the guy who does have glue for plates does his best, and even if I would never be completely fixed, because the marks will be there, you need to be sure you get yourself as fixed as possible, and I'll do the same. And we will always be there to make us company and love each other no matter what, okay?" she said as if Chloe was a baby, and Chloe nodded, sniffling and finally letting her tears flow, covering her face with her hands.

"I love you so much" Chloe's muffled voice said and Beca almost laughed as her own tears covered her cheeks silently "And I hate this... is what our lives... are now."

"I know you do sweetie, I do too" Beca got up, Aubrey smiled at her as she remover her arm from Chloe, and Beca returned the teary small as she knelt between the ginger's sightly separated legs and reached a hand towards Chloe's convulsing shower "Come on babe, I gotcha."

Chloe leaned forward and her and Beca hugged strongly. Beca cried softly and in silence, pretty calmed, and Chloe cried letting to everything God knew how long had she kept inside, loudly and desperately as Beca tried to comfort her talking softly and kissing her head as she stood on her knees, running her hand up and down the ginger's back. And when Beca ran out of nice things to say, she just kept repeating how much she loved her until, around fifteen minutes of intense cry later, the ginger pulled out, not crying anymore, but with her eyes and face pretty red.

"Hey, now you match your hair!" Beca joked, and Chloe laughed a bit while dried her cheeks with her t-shirt. Beca smiled "Come on, tell my I'm such a dork."

"You are such a dork. And I love you" Chloe said with an hoarse voice pulling her in for a kiss. Then, Beca got up.

"Well, it's almost noon and I think I owe you all a good lunch somewhere nice, so, what if you my love go and get your eyes less red than blue and then we go. I'm hungry" Beca joked, and Chloe laughed nodding and getting up, Aubrey went upstairs with her.

At some point, they were joined by Flo and Amanda, that felt so much better, and were all having lunch between laughs and jokes in a good place that was discreet enough to avoid problems now that everybody new thanks to the news what happened -in general terms, but it was enough to bother them- and that Beca was in Portland, but was a great place, not too fancy but just enough, were there was good food and not a lot of snobs.

Beca spent the lunch mostly quiet, enjoying the company but her mind going back to her nightmare from time to time, although she tried to distract herself with the beautiful sight of Chloe laughing her ass off, and the love they gave each other with just a glare. She was having quite a nice time, and was surprised when she heard an:

"Oh my God Beca, are you alright?!" very high pitched that cut their current laughs off. She wasn't that surprised, thought, when she saw Thomas and Nancy Stevens, the snobs ex-high school mates of her they had seen at a restaurant some time ago. The couple were looking at her with fake dramatic expressions and she heard some muffled contained laughs in the table that she had a hard time trying not to join "We heard for the news! You must be so devastated, such a horrible tragedy, and you're so tiny they must have really hurt..."

"You know? I've had enough of this already" Beca snapped interrupting suddenly and getting up and her friends looked at her amused, knowing that an angry Beca was terrifying but for the ones that just had to see, funny. The tiny DJ came to the couple, who stood very close to her "Firstly, yeah, I'm screwed up, but that's okay because I've got the best friends and girlfriend in the whole world and I'll be just fine, secondly, yeah, I'm tiny, but I still killed someone, and I'm left-handed, but I can still beat the crap out of you buddies with my eyes closed" she said and Thomas laughed softly "oh, that's funny for you, dude? Guess what's funnier, your wife here? I FUCKED her! not once, or twice, but a lot more, in different places and positions, and she screamed MY NAME more times than I can count, so suck you, because you know what? She isn't straight or bi, but you are rich and she's never been!" she snapped at her and suppressed a laugh at the incredulity of his face "And I can tell because one I know her and she has never been interested in you in the slightness, and second, she has always been with women, she fucked them like five times a week during our whole high school years, and I'm only an small part of those funny times, she's probably cheating in you with your secretary, for God's sakes! She's a sex addict, and she likes weird stuff in bed, and toys and stuff! And the best part, she used to tell me how she was going to spend her entire life traveling around just having sex!" The couple's faces were priceless by now.

"Maybe you should think better what you're saying..." started Tom and Beca guffawed in his face.

"WHY, DUDE? You're not my friend, you bullied me in high school you asshole! And I've KILLED SOMEONE! You seriously think you scare me just one bit?" they looked at each other for a second and then Beca said with a cold, low voice "Go. Just go." And the couple went away. Beca laughed and the table cheered and laughed.

"I have no idea what the hell that was, but it was damn cool" Emily laughed.

"I'm very proud of you, badass." Chloe said grinning before kissing her when she went back to her seat.

That moment of fun kept Beca in boom for a couple hours, and she felt almost drunk, having more fun and being full of adrenaline, completely distracted for the rest, so much that after lunch she took all of them to rent a big couple of boats in the falls where she had gone with Chloe and despite not being able to row, she still had an amazing time, and they all laughed a lot. After that, they agreed to go home or to the hotels and rest a little and then they agreed to go to some karaoke pub after dinner and have fun.

So, there she was, laying in her bed, supposedly taking a nap while Chloe and Aubrey were downstairs with Emily, Benji, Angela, Amanda, and Cynthia Rose as Jesse was taking a nap too and the others were back in their hotel recovering themselves for all the excitement. But she really didn't feel like falling asleep. She was tired and that was little words, yeah, but she was also scared as hell of having a nightmare or a panic attack like in the morning, and that made her try with all her forces not to fall asleep. She was in her bed only because of Aubrey and Chloe insisting, and because she hoped she could get some rest only by laying down for a while. But she couldn't hold much longer, and before she realized, Chloe was being killed in front of her, by her brother -really, how fucking twisted was that?-, and she was waking up covering in sweat and scared as hell. She wasn't screaming or having a serious panic attack, but her heart was racing, so she ran downstairs and heard the quite conversation that was taking place in the living stop suddenly at hearing her quick footsteps, and she let go a breath she didn't know she was holding, in relief, as she saw Chloe safe and alive sitting in the couch with a glass of water in her hands. At the sight, Chloe looked at her and ran towards her.

"My god Becs another one?" Chloe said looking at her and Beca nodded "your shirt is soaked babe, are you alright?" she hugged Beca tight, and Beca closed her eyes as she kept repeating in whispers _you were dead, you were fucking dead, and my brother killed you_ one time after the other "sh... sh... it's okay, it was only a bad dream, I'm okay and alive and I've never met your brother, and he would never kill anybody."

The others stared at the couple in silence, and even if Beca was calmed soon, and insisted in the party after dinner, also given the fact that their friends were leaving the next day, and she was very quiet after that nightmare. She seemed in her own world, there but not there, immersed in her own thoughts and barely paying attention to anything else.

They were now sitting in a pub watching -Beca absentmindedly as she had the straw of her coke between her teeth and her mind somewhere else- as some of the other Bellas performed a funny rendition of _Girls just wanna have fun_. Chloe and the others had tried to make her feel better, but, understanding she didn't want to talk, they went to just be extra kind and nice towards her, and from time to time, they would kiss her forehead, or put a hand on her leg, or something. Beca thanked that approach internally. She was so focused on her own thoughts, she hadn't realized her beautiful, utter stunning girlfriend was in the stage.

She looked amazing, as always. She had a beautiful sweater and tight jeans, and her hair was all curly and red, and she looked amazing, thought a bit tired. And Beca's heart skipped a beat and her mouth opened slightly as the ginger started singing _Far_ Away from Nickelback.

" _This time, this place. Misused, mistakes. Too long, too late. Who was I to make you wait. Just one chance, just one breath. Just in case there's just one left, 'cause you know,  
you know, you know_" she was very into the song, even gesturing in the _one_ , never removing her eyes from Beca's except to close them briefly sometimes and her voice sounded beautifully " _That I love you, I've loved you all along. And I miss you, been far away for far too long. I keep dreaming, you'll be with me and you'll never go. Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore_ " during the music, Chloe went down, through all the mass of people, and knelt in front of Beca, who was at the verge of tears, but from sadness" _On my knees, I'll ask, last chance for one last dance. 'Cause with you, I'd withstand, all of hell to hold your hand_ " while she sang, she pulled the embarrassed Beca up with a wink and a smile and walked with her without losing eye contact until they reached the middle of the mass, that went to the sides to let them space, and Chloe started dancing a bit with Beca, or trying to pull her to dance " _I'd give it all, I'd give for us, give anything but I won't give up."_ At this point she shook her head playfully, her right hand on the mic and the left holding her right hand, moving her a bit to dance" _'Cause you know, you know, you know."_ Surprisingly, now Beca joined her with the singing, with a tiny smile, as they sang, their voices joining as strongly and powerfully as ever" _That I love you, I've loved you all along, and I miss you. Been far away for far too long. I keep dreaming, you'll be with me, and you'll never go. Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore._ " They smiled widely at each other as people moved they hands in the air to the sides following the rhythm and the guitar sang solo the first three words, Chloe the following three, and both the next seven, repeating the process until the chorus, where they sang together again: " _So far away, so far away, been far away for far too long. So far away, so far away. Been far away for far too long."_ Now both _"But you know, you know, you know, I wanted, I wanted you to stay, 'cause I needed, I need to hear you say."_ Beca took now the main voice and Chloe the chorus " _That I love you, (Chloe: That I love you) I've loved you all along, and I forgive you, (Chloe: And I forgive you)"_ now both together _"for being away for far too long. So keep breathing, 'cause I'm not leaving you anymore. Believe it, hold on to me and never let me go. Keep breathing, 'cause I'm not leaving you anymore. Believe it, hold on to me and never let me go, keep breathing. Hold on to me and never let me go. Keep breathing hold on to me and never let me go._ " They had been dancing clumsily all along given to Beca's broken arm, and Chloe's busy hand, but it was okay, cute and far from ridiculous. The song ended and everyone applauded strongly -some were crying- everyone up and surrounding them, and they smiled in a silly way at each other, as they turned more serious as their eyes focused more and more on the others, hypnotizing each other ever so slowly, like if nothing else existed, until they looked at their lips and like magnets, suddenly threw their lips to the other one's, hugging each other tightly as they made out and people cheered, but all they could feel was their intense love for each other. In fact, Chloe dropped the mic to the ground to put her hands around Beca's neck.

"I love you so much it's weird" Chloe whispered when they pulled apart for oxygen and Beca laughed against her lips.

"You're such a dork. My dork" Beca whispered self-consciously, kissing her again.

"My tiny badass DJ" Chloe said kissing her again, this time to never let go.

Beca knew she still had things to deal with, they all had. But somehow, she knew it would be okay no matter what, because she had the best traveling partner she could ask for.

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 **What did you guys think? Leave reviews and let me know, please! Also, I'd like to say I'm not lesbian, and I kind of haven't been in any serious romances, I had a boyfriend but things turned bad, so... and even if you'd think she's too young to know what love is, because I would think that and many times I do with many people, I know I'm crazy in love with my best friend, and I've never felt like that towards anyone I've ever met, and it's been like that for almost two years now, but he has absolute no idea, because you know, I wouldn't risk his friendship. Anyway, I'm saying that because I'm sorry if you feel disappointed with the way I'm writing the romances here. And also, I'm not studying meds, but audiovisuals (cameras, sound, photography and those things) and a bit of press, so... I'm trying to be as accurate with medical staff as possible, but sometimes I fail. Apologizes for that too.**


	18. Chapter 18

**TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! And thank you so much sfnStorm for congratulating me, you're so sweet and this is for you. We'll see again soon my friends, get ready for the sequel, it's coming out at the same time this chap does! Leave reviews please, much love!**

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Chapter 18: See you soon.

November, 2nd, awoke as a rainy cold day, and, for them, awoke pretty late considering the amount of alcohol they had had the night before. Even Beca, Chloe, and Jesse, who hadn't drink one bit because they had it forbidden until they didn't have to take their meds anymore -Beca and Jesse had painkillers and anti-anxiety ones, Chloe had stopped taking painkillers already, but she still took sleeping pills every night, and anti-anxiety ones. Beca had the biggest package, because she was also in antidepressants, which she hated terribly, and some that were for something arm related- stood in their beds, cuddled and warm, almost until noon, just enjoying being there.

Beca loved rainy days, but that day, as they took a quiet launch all the friends together in a restaurant, she found her mood was like the sky's. That they, they were all leaving Portland. Beca had put her brother's house for sale, along with her mother's car, but she kept her childhood home for herself, even if she had made a massive cleaning in the last minute before lunch with the help of her friends, and also before lunch, some guys had come to put extra security measures in the house -security cameras, more locks, more keys, things like that- so Beca could made sure it didn't matter how long she was gone, the house was still safe. She also hired a gardener, and was going to do one last trip to the cemetery before she went to the airport, even if she went almost every day there.

Jesse, Aubrey, Cynthia Rose, Stacie and Fat Amy, were going back to New York. Angela, Amy, Benji, Beca and Emily -who was living with Benji- were going back to Los Angeles. And Flo, Jessica, and Chloe, to Atlanta. Beca and Chloe had been talking a lot and had decided Beca should make an effort and make a quick trip to LA so she could let things as fixed as possible, only for a few days, and then would go back to Atlanta and be with Chloe for a couple weeks, so her school's principal wouldn't get too annoyed, even if he said he totally understood and that those were special times that required special measures. Then, they had decided to go to Europe for a month, get themselves far away for the mess they left in Portland, recover, and give North America, mostly Los Angeles and New York City, the time to forget a bit about them, before they could go back and maybe with 2019, move to Norfolk, Virginia. Jesse and Aubrey had said that if no one had other plans, they should all get together at their place for a New Year's Eve Party and stay a few days, given the holiday's vacations.

So there she was Beca, sitting in front of the couple graves that belonged to four beloved members of her family, playing with the autumn leaves in the ground, half an hour before she had to be in the airport. Chloe was there with her, but had decided to just walk around to give Beca some alone time. And she used it. She spoke to them, she said her goodbyes, and she promised to come back. To always come back until she had to join them, hopefully, around eighty years from them, and she would be happy with that arrangement. But soon, Chloe came to tell her they really had to get going, so she held her hand, and left.

Beca could feel her heart flinching with the sole idea of being apart from Chloe even if it was just for a few days, she would know exactly how many once she saw the panorama in Los Angeles. Panorama that had Beca pretty terrified, but she wouldn't say. She preferred being her quiet self and try not to run away as they entered the airport. They were all there, having selected the flights together so they only had a few minutes of difference, and Beca had also gifted everyone with the privilege of flying in private jets, so they would be home soon in compensation for everything. The flight to NYC was taking off at 18:00 pm, then twenty minutes later, it was the turn to Los Angeles, and finally, around ten minutes later, Atlanta. So they took their handbags, and after passing the security control, they sat in the waiting room to wait for an airport employer to take them to their jets. They looked pretty excited, but also sad to leave each other, and Beca was fighting back a panic attack as she had her hand held between Chloe's.

"Don't be so anxious, we'll see each other before you have time to get used to being without me" Chloe said with a cute smile, after Beca had been taping her heel up and down for five minutes straight "we'll skype everyday. You call me when you land, I'll call you again before and after work tomorrow, we'll be fine."

"I know, I know, but... what if there's too much press? I get enough upset all by myself to like having a press I've never really had stick to my ass" Beca said "or what if all my clients are super angry at me or something? Or what if I have a nightmare, and I wake up all alone in the middle of the night, or if... I don't know Chlo, I'm not used to being a mess by myself, anything could happen."

Chloe smiled sweetly at her and stroke her cheek with a thumb.

"Don't worry so much babe, look, if press bothers you, remember that you kill a person, and you are Badass Beca Freakin' Mitchell, you killed someone, you sure can scare the crap out of them" she reminded, and Beca had to admit that was right "but if you get really upset with them, call security, or punch someone in the nose and the rest will back off, like when you were a freshmen. If your clients are super angry, which I doubt, remind them where they can stick their yells and politely suggest them to find another producer. If you have a nightmare, I don't care which hour it is, you call me, and I'll be with you on the phone, or skype, for as long as it takes" she tranquilized her "And if any other thing happens, or you are upset, or crying, or you don't even know what to feel or think, call me. We'll talk, a lot, and if I'm in class, I'll excuse myself to go to the bathroom, is that alright?"

Beca nodded and they smiled at each other.

"You do the same, I'll be there" Beca said "I'm gonna miss you. My bed is gonna be too big without you."

"Oh, I hadn't though about it. Put your laptop close, so I can give you a kiss goodnight" Chloe said smiling widely "I'll miss you more. Don't forget that if you see Roger, give him a kiss from me."

Beca smiled.

"Competitive dork..." Beca nodded, thinking that she had already arranged something to get to Roger. It was a flower basket, with a note saying ' _Thank you for being such a jerk and proving me you were not worth me, so I could make love to the most amazing woman on Earth without feeling guilty. I guess you could also find true love... with a poisonous mushroom.'_

"So, we'll see each other in New Year's Eve, right? I'm telling you, that night in NYC it's pure magic" Jesse reminded the group with a grin.

"I'll just visit my father and company somewhere around Christmas, and be with you for New Year's Eve." Beca said.

"And I've arranged meeting my family in Tampa for Christmas, and then New Year's Eve with you guys" Chloe said happily. The rest of the group seemed to have similar plans, so maybe the whole Bellas and their partners will see each other that night.

"So if you're spending Christmas with your family, does it meant we won't be together our first Christmas together?" Beca asked looking at Chloe.

"I thought you would want to be with your dad" Chloe replied.

"Well, yeah, but... maybe I could just spend a few days with them right after Christmas?"

"Then, you are more than invited to a Beale Christmas Weekend in Tampa, Florida, with your amazing girlfriend" Chloe said grinning happily and Beca smiled widely and kissed her.

"Great! Your family is quite amazing" Beca commented. She had actually met them a few times when they were in college, and a few summers all the Bellas had gone to the Beale household in Tampa, and kicked the beach.

Chloe was the third of the four children Charles and Anna Beale had. There were George, Sophie, then Chloe, and lastly Gwendoline. Chloe always said that her parents didn't have siblings, except Anna, whose little brother died at birth, so they always dreamed with a big family. George was four years older than Chloe, had a wife named Hannah, and two very young children, named John and Kathy. Sophie was only one year older than Chloe, and they were pretty close, she and her husband Seth had a three year old named Emma, and were expecting their second kid. And Gwen had a boyfriend, Cormac, that she had been dating for several years now. The Beales were the kindest and most wonderful family Beca had ever met. They were all always very considerate, funny and calm, humble and polite, down to earth, and had a lot of interest in arts. They were also very touchy, but that was normal being related to Chloe. Chloe's parents had been before being jubilees he a double-bass player and she a history teacher. George was a general surgeon and his wife was into digital design. Sophie was an architect, and her husband a violinist. And Gwen was a chef, so, for Beca, they were an amazing family, but she couldn't help it when one day, she asked Chloe how was she holding up together as she was and not thinking on her own brother and nephews, but she just shrugged, smiled, and said she just called them a lot, knew they were fine, and would give them a huge hug as soon as possible.

"Yeah, they are" Chloe nodded, actually dying to see them, but she had skyped them a few days ago and she could wait.

"By the way, it's not nearly as good as your family, but you can come with me to visit my father's family in Atlanta. We just have to spend day with them and since we'll be living in the same city for some weeks and can see each other quite a lot for that time, it'll be more than enough." Suggested Beca and Chloe smiled.

"That will be awesome" she said smiling and right them, a airport worker came to take the New Yorkers to their jet, and they got up to hug Jesse, Aubrey, Cynthia, Amy and Stacie "Take care guys, see you soon."

Chloe and Beca hugged them, and Beca made sure that her arm didn't keep her away from giving a tight hug to her bestest friends in the world, the future parents.

"Take care" Beca said pulling away from Jesse "We'll be in touch."

"Yeah, and take care you too" Jesse smiled "I love you all people!"

Aubrey laughed pulling Chloe for a tight hug, and the ginger also kissed her belly.

"Don't make your momma vomit too much kiddos" Chloe said against her belly.

They all hugged, laughed a bit, cried a bit, and said their goodbyes and the I love yous, between promises of seeing each others soon and always keep in touch. The same process repeated a while later, when it was time for the jet to Los Angeles to take off. Beca and Chloe left each other for the end, and hugged each other so tight that you couldn't tell where a person ended and another started. At the end, they both had tears in their eyes, as they made out, and then kept their foreheads together, Chloe's hands on the brunette's cheeks as this last one kept her hand on the other one's back.

"We'll talk everyday" Chloe said.

"I'll come back in three days tops" Beca said even if she wasn't sure she was going to be done in three days.

"I love you so, so much" Chloe added.

"I love you more than I will ever love anything in the whole universe" Beca replied, kissing her again. They had been kissing and hugging for a while, so Chloe pushed herself to smile widely and pull apart.

"Call me when you land, and don't get too comfortable in Los Angeles, I want you back!" Chloe said with a radiant smile, and Beca couldn't avoid keep herself from smiling too.

"You'll have me back!" she promised, and right before passing the corridor's corner, she ran back and gave Chloe a quick last peck in the lips before running back to the rest of the friends who were taking her same jet.

And with that, Beca walked less sad, and more hopeful, knowing that this was the end of a living nightmare, that she had a light forever in her darkness, and that everything would, somehow be just fine, no matter what. Because no matter how many bullets came, Chloe was her bulletproof. And Beca was going to be hers, too.

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 **Hello friends, this is the sequel: write this after net in the fanfiction url:** **s/11541680/1/Unstoppable [You can find the story in my profile, it's called Unstoppable]**

 **Thank you so much for coming with me through this adventure, I hope you liked it and I hope to see you again in the sequel. Much love,**

 **Jules.**


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